St. Boniface (675-754
A.D.) was born in Anglo-Saxon England, and played a critical role in the
Anglo-Saxon mission to the areas known as Germania. He was known as the “apostle
of the Germans” and helped reform the Frankish church. Many Catholics today still
consider him a German national figure.
He’s also
credited with inventing the Christmas tree.
It’s a
legend, buttressed by accounts form the 18th century onward, more
than a thousand years after his death. It may, or may not, have some foundation
in fact, but it is a charming story, and plays rather directly to his mission
to the Frankish tribes.
In Kristoph
and the First Christmas Tree, children’s writer Claudia Cangilla McAdam retells a
fictional account of St. Boniface and the Christmas tree. Kristoph is an orphan
boy, and he’s accompanying a priest to a village. Their journey is interrupted
when they discover a boy being readied to be sacrificed by pagan tribesmen to a
tree they worshipped. The priest confronts the men, and sets up a test – he will
chop the huge tree down with one blow of the ax.
Illustrated
by Dave
Hill, the book is aimed at the 5- to 9-year-old age group. It’s a simple
but exciting story, and knowing how it will likely end doesn’t detract from its
charm.
McAdam is
the author of numerous books for children and young adults, including Portraits
of Character (2001), Do You
See What I See? (2006), Maria’s
Mysterious Mission (2007), Awakening
(2009), Riddles
in the Rodeo (2010), A,B,
See Colorado (2012), The
Christmas Tree Cried (2014), and The
Mermaid’s Gift (2015). Hill, a native of Glasgow, is an illustrator of
comic books, video games, and picture books, including Hildegard’s
Gift (2014).
Kristoph and the First Christmas
Tree, whether
based on a legend or fact, is a delightful book for children and a Christmas
story for all ages.
Top photograph by Pail Itkin via Unsplash. Used with
permission.
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