The Last Chimney of Christmas Eve

by Linda Oatman High, Kęstutis Kasparavičius (Illustrator)

It is Christmas Eve and Nicholas, a young chimney sweep, has one last chimney to clean. Shivering in his ragged coat, he climbs inside the narrow, sooty chimney, working his way to the top. From the roof, he sees the glow of fireplaces in the houses below and inhales the smell of warm mincemeat. "Someday," he thinks, "Christmas Eve will be joyful for me, the way it's meant to be." After the chimney is cleaned, the owner of the house surprises the boy with two presents: a big, warm coat and a glass snow dome. "Thank you for your kindness," says Nicholas. "Pass it on," says the man. When Nicholas grows up, he does precisely that. In this heartwarming book, Linda Oatman High and Kestutis Kasparavicius imagine the childhood of a familiar figure known for giving gifts. It offers a thought to bear in mind at Christmas and throughout the year: kindness received will grow when we pass it onto others.

Genres: Christmas, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2001

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know it's almost officially summer, and not even close to Christmas but I found this at my library because someone else had read it and left it out. It's a sweet story by Linda Oatman High, beautifully illustrated by Kestutis Kasparavicius about a Christmas chimney sweep who learns the goodness of a gift given to him and of passing on that pleasure to another. Be sure to remember this coming December!

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the beginning half of this book...Nicholas is an orphan, a chimney sweep. He has had a hard life. He is given a beautiful red coat and snow globe by a man and told to pass the kindness on. Then suddenly, it is years later and he is older and sneaks down chimneys to leave gifts as St. Nicholas. The second half seemed rushed...in fact it was much less than half of the book and the storytelling felt rushed. In addition, the story seemed very realistic and then suddenly St. Nicholas is floating through the air on the last page. It is a nice story of how St. Nicholas came to be...but I wish the ending had been fleshed out a bit more. The first half evoked strong feelings...the ending left me a bit bewildered. The illustrations are truly beautiful.

[Eileen Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely Love this book. It is so endearing, with a different view point on St. Nicholas. Our school had a bullying program earlier in the morning and then I read this story. The children were able to make a connection between bullying and the attitude of the master sweep in this story.

Nicholas might have had a hard life as a chimney sweep, but that didn't taint his view on the world. He was shown kindness from an old man, who gave Nicholas the gifts needed to know that in life there are people who care for you.

The illustrations are beautiful. The words exquisite. I would recommend this book to everyone.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of the stories that I didn't understand. I get that it was a reference to Saint Nicholas and it tried to tie together the whole coming down the chimney and gift giving aspect of his story, but I don't know if it really worked for me. Normally, I love Linda Oatman High's stories so I was surprised by this one.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicholas is an orphan chimney sweep given a red coat and a gift by a patron who tells him to pay it forward. He grows up to be St. Nicholas who climbs in and out of chimneys with gifts for others.

[Kathy Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book about the beginnings of Santa Claus. Very nice ilustrations