In honor of good old St. Nick, let's feature the Guardians of Childhood series, originated by William Joyce who is assisted by Laura Gehringer. The series contains picture books AND chapter books.
The chapter book series begins with a book about St. Nicholas, Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce and Laura Gehringer.
Who was the REAL St. Nicholas? He was a Greek Bishop in what is now modern day Turkey. He was born in March of 270 C.E. and died on December 6th, 343 C.E. He is the patron saint of children, sailors, merchants, brewers, pawnbrokers, students and repentant thieves. Miracles attributed to him include bringing murdered children back to life, saving a ship in a horrible storm and bringing one of the sailors back to life, taking wheat from a shipment destined for the Emperor without depleting the shipment at all.
The most famous story about Nicholas is the one about the poor man who had three daughters. In the 4th century, C. E., young women who had no dowry were forced to take the most menial of jobs or go into prostitution. Nicholas wanted to help the young women so he secretly tossed bags of gold in through the man's open window. One version of the story has the Saint tossing the bags down the chimney so he wouldn't be caught by the father.
Although Wikipedia is full of information about the good saint and his feast day, the St. Nicholas Center has the same stories in shorter and more accessible forms. Enjoy the day.
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