“FIVE STARS! MUST READ!”

A magical tale for little ones who still very much believe in the magic of Christmas and those on the verge of becoming 'Santa's Helpers'.

I immediately fell in love with the images. Every colourful piece of artwork in this book looked like a Christmas card. They served amazingly to bring more Christmas spirit to this tale (if that is even possible) and bring to life key scenes in the story.

I really like how each page was a tiny episode and titled accordingly. They served like mini chapters and gave the feeling of opening an advent calendar (although with 39 episodes, you might want to plan what you read each night). I also liked how the story started at the beginning. That is to say, we met Nick as a baby, watched him grow, and came to understand the where the magic associated with him came from.

I also loved the descriptive prose. Lines such as, ‘When the sun began to bleed into the sea, the people of Myra gathered,’ and ‘where snow hung in the branches like pearls,’ pepper the text giving my own imagination a workout as I put this text to images my mind creates.

As I read the book, my mind wandered to several places. At first, I thought of the parallels this story had to the life of Jesus. Religion and spirituality aside, this book is the story of a man who travelled to great lengths to teach and show acts of kindness and was persecuted for it.

I was also reminded of stories from my youth about the Saint Nicholas who gave toys to poor children centuries ago in what is now modern-day Cyprus. Finally, I appreciated the symbolism related to modern-day Christmas, the sleighs bells, the workshop, the climbing of rooftops. Papsadore weaves this tale so cleverly to ensure it appeals to a wide audience, whilst (hopefully) not offending anyone because of the relation (or lack of heavy relation) to faith. The introduction of Jessica, or Mrs Claus is simply a bonus and a novel story that fills in many of the gaps for Santa’s later life.

Nick & Jessica: The Untold Love Story of Santa and Mrs. Claus is a magical tale for little ones who still very much believe in the magic of Christmas and would like some history on how Christmas traditions came to be. The humble beginnings serve to remind parents and children of the charitable nature of Christmas over the materialism many have come to associate with the season today.

The book is also suited to children who have wizened to the practicalities of who Santa is today and could be used to either reinstate their belief in the magic of Christmas or help draw them into a ‘Santa’s little helper’ role. A really wonderful read worth 5 out of 5 stars for its plot, editing, illustrations and the wonder and awe it creates around kindness and giving.

Reviewed by,

Georgia Lyonhyde