Tuesday, September 9, 2014

The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Anselm Grün -- PUBLIC

Grün, Anselm The Legend of Saint Nicholas, illustrated by Giuliano Ferri. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2012 (English version 2014). $16.00. Content: PG.

This book tells about the life of Saint Nicholas, including his miraculous birth, the kind deeds he did, the ways in which God worked through him, how he spread his religion, and the miracles he continued to perform even after death. The last page very briefly mentions his connection to Christmas gifts, almost as an afterthought.

While the illustrations are lovely, much of the writing itself is rather bland; perhaps the voice became lost during its translation from the original German. The story also hints at some violence which may be disturbing to very young children, and some might be disappointed at only a cursory mention of Santa Claus. Because of the strong religious approach, which feels a lot like proselytizing, this book will likely find a larger audience in a public library setting, a private Catholic school, or a personal collection.

EL -- PUBLIC ONLY. Reviewer: Caryn

No comments: