Nici's Christmas Tale: 1157 Aquitaine, A Troubadour's Short Story is an absolutely perfect story to share with children at Christmas time for it teaches that we all need to help others, learn from our mistakes, and to look out for each other.   There are a few characters in this short chapter story that one needs to be wary of, but can learn from one way or another.  These characters are Malabric, Jehan-Pastor, Gaudis, and the Lady Costanza who are the humans that fit in with Nici's life and work life. I feel these characters are to be wary of as a lesson to be careful of those around you.  The plot of the story moves at a moderate pace since the setting of the story is the farm and sheep farm, which is a place that has periods of passive and active times. The overall theme of this short story could be believing in others good or bad. This is a tale of learning to work together and even the survival of the fittest.  This being a short story and being told at Christmas, it is a sharing story for me.  It reminded me of a story at Christmas when the animals could talk to each other about what is going on in situations, as in a  children's Bible story.  It is a story of trust and learning to trust both animals and humans.  Jean Gill created Nici as if Nici was human and all the characters as if they were doing their jobs correctly.