Shoemaker Martin by Bernadette Watts

A Christmastime story written by Leo Tolstoy and illustrated by the legendary European artist Bernadette Watts.

Martin, a Russian shoemaker, wishes to meet Jesus. Instead he finds three strangers in need. After showing kindness towards each one, Martin learns that it was Jesus who visited him three times. A beautiful story about sharing, with a message of compassion as relevant today as when it was first conceived.

Bernadette Watts, known throughout Europe simply as Bernadette, has illustrated many dozens of folk- and fairy tales. Born in England, she loved to draw from childhood. She studied at the Maidstone Art School in Kent, UK, and for some time was taught by Brian Wildsmith and David Hockney. Bernadette's many beautiful books include The Snow Queen and The Little Drummer Boy. Bernadette finds her inspiration in nature. Today she lives and works in Kent. She has been illustrating for NorthSouth Books and NordSüd Verlag since the beginning of her career fifty years ago.


Leo Tolstoy was born in 1928 in Yasnaya Polyana, Tula Province, Russia, into a family of the old nobility. His best-known works include War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and Resurrection. During the Revolution of 1905, he came out on the side of the Russian peasantry, but in accordance with his doctrine, he categorically opposed revolutionary violence. He died in 1910.

Target Age: 4-8

Northsouth Books

Pub Date: January 02, 2018

0.3" H x 11.1" L x 8.7" W

32 pages

hardcover