Beautiful And Educating

Ships, Sleighs And Christmas Lights by Colleen Brice is a charming book about the origins of St Nicholas. It is perfect for children aged five years and older.

The book opens with Christmas scenes before delving into the real life Nikolaos who was born in the fourth century in Asia Minor which is modern Turkey. We hear about his connections to the life of Jesus before returning to present day Christmas and also learning about life in Lycia.

The whole book is simply written enabling young children to understand. The text is backed up with beautiful illustrations. Each page is a starting point for discussion or you can read the story straight through in one go.

I loved the parallels between Nikolaos and Jesus – when caught in a storm, Nikolaos knows if he prays to Jesus, He will calm the storm inside him.