We here at Forever Santa highly recommend The Truth About Santa Claus by James Cross Giblin. It's a well put-together informative book, aimed at intermediate readers in the 8 - 12 year old range. It tells the story of the Santa Claus myth in an easy to understand way that not only explains the origins of the story, but also gives us a look at how these myths are born.
Giblin breaks up the story into several useful parts. He starts with the figure of St. Nicholas, a character from the very early Christian church who lived in the eastern Mediterranean.
Next, the legend of St. Nicholas spread from there to Western and Northern Europe, where he was thrown into a mix of other wintertime gift-bringers. Giblin discusses how this version of St. Nicholas became very popular - one of the most popular figures in the Catholic world of medieval Europe.
Last, Giblin charts the most recent chapter of the St. Nicholas story - how it accompanied European settlers across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World. In the melting pot of various European traditions, Santa Claus was born as an American tradition - a fact which indeed may not be widely known.
Giblin's style is simple, easy and clear. Adults and children alike will find a wealth of information here, either as a good place to find useful Santa info, or as a place to start one's investigations into the Santa legend. High recommended!
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