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    Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
    Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
    Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
    Ebook158 pages1 hour

    Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

    By L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum

    4/5

    ()

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    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArchive Classics
    Release dateDec 1, 1971
    Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

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    Reviews for Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

    4/5

    183 ratings18 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Overall I enjoyed this book. It was a whimsical fairy tale that told us various elements of how Santa came to be. It was an interesting lens to see the Christmas world through. Full review forthcoming on my blog.
    • 3/5
      Cute and quaint.
    • 3/5
      Meh. At times charming, other times dry. It almost felt like Baum was going down a list of characteristics of Santa Claus he wanted to include and, one by one, marked them off as he fit them into his story. Also, I don't know why, but I had a hard time believing the Fairies as such benign, helpful peoples.Recommended to parents, caregivers and/or teachers who want to read a Christmas-themed tale to their younger kids during the holiday season. Adults, especially fans of the Oz books, might find themselves underwhelmed.3 stars
    • 3/5
      So this was the basis for one of my favorite Christmas specials, which they don't show often enough (I am referring to the 1985 version). Baum's story of Santa Claus does take out the religious aspect and focuses more on the fantasy and fairy aspect. At times, there is a feeling of how long is this going to go on, but there is a certain charm to the story.
    • 4/5
      As the title implies, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus serves up Santa's "origin story" from being found by nymphs as an infant, to being raised by them, and then going out into the world to make life better for children everywhere. Told by L. Frank Baum, the style is similar to the Oz books, and explains everything: why Santa makes toys, how the reindeer got involved, why he goes down the chimney, and so on. I mean, who doesn't want to know how this all works?This book is one of six Penguin Christmas Classics, published in beautiful hardcover editions. I spotted these in a shop last year, and almost gave in to temptation; this one was a gift from a Secret Santa this year. I have a feeling I will be buying more ...
    • 5/5
      One of my all time favorite books. when each of my kids entered 3rd grade I would buy a copy and donate it to the class to be read aloud by the teacher.
    • 4/5
      This book has been made into a cartoon movie that I came upon one Christmas season but it was only bits and pieces that I saw. I was caught by the movie but unfortunately I couldn't get the channel to tell me what the show was nor could I figure it out so it disappeared back into the darkness of oblivion for me even though I kept thinking about it. A few years ago my sister found out that it was actually a book and the author while she chose to gift this book for me for my birthday instead of the movie. I have read it and enjoyed it while hoping still someday that I will be able to finish the movie. L. Frank Baum has never been much of an author for me although I must say his books are much better than the movie adaptations. As the knowledge came to me for the author I was disappointed a bit. Just like his famous series this book is inhabited with creatures, plants and beings that have come from Baum's creative mind. They are based upon life but given a new meaning that defies the archaic beliefs such as fairies that aren't repulsed by metal but instead act as guardians of mankind. What caught my attention with this book is the fact that this book is about the generosity of man and that are efforts are never in main. It gives a very reasonable and sturdy framework that seems to answer all the questions that one may have for Santa Claus including his origins, how he has lived for so long and why certain Christmas traditions have come into being. It goes into the history of children having been forsaken or neglected by their parents until one person (the famous Claus) chose to have pity and make it his mission to ease the troubles of their life until they are made by nature to take it up. This is definitely no Nativity tale and mentions nothing of the Lord Jesus but Baum still admits that even in his world of immortals there is a Supreme Being who is still in charge. The plot and writing is simple to follow while the story is quite beautiful in my opinion. This is definitely one of my favorite Christmas-time tales. And for me it is a classic!
    • 5/5
      This is a sweet book introducing the world to the man behind the bright red suit. From the time he's abandoned as a baby and adopted by fairies, to his first trip through the countryside with reindeer, every aspect of the Santa Claus myth is explained. I loved that at its heart it's a story of seeing the harsh reality in the world and deciding to be the change that you want. Santa Claus is depicted as a generous, loving man who wants to make children happy. The origins of his toy making skills and chimney entrances are explained in a playful and satisfying way. Such a wonderful Christmas tale!
    • 4/5
      In The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, L. Frank Baum creates a unique life history for the jolly old elf from his infancy through to his achievement of immortality. Baum's Santa lives in a valley adjacent to Oz and interacts with fairy folk like those in his more famous body of work. Like the Oz stories, Baum's writing here is characterized by unadulterated joy and optimism, without condescending to his audience. Indeed, both adults and children can enjoy his writing. While certain elements of Baum's Santa Claus differ from what has become the standard, the essence of the character is still present. Parents can easily add this book to the list of traditional holiday books to share with their children while Oz enthusiasts will delight in Santa's backstory after seeing him in The Road to Oz, the fifth book in the Oz series.
    • 4/5
      Received from Early Readers program.This is a Santa Claus origin story from the author of the OZ books L. Frank Baum. It is a very quaint little book and has some very sweet little fantasy elements. Would be a good little series of bedtime stories for young children leading up to Christmas. It is a little dated but not too much, and I enjoyed reading it.
    • 3/5
      L. Frank Baum imagines the back story of Santa Claus beginning with his discovery as a babe in a forest mentioned in [The Wizard of Oz]. He takes us through his mentorship by the Master Woodworker and to the beginnings of his own toy making for children. He eventually spends Christmas eve with his reindeer team delivering toys to stockings and Christmas trees. Then there is more! House designs change, and those chimneys aren't wide enough. It's a fun romp when you are in the mood for a little bit of whimsy! I received a copy through Library Thing Early Reviewers program with the expectation of an honest review.
    • 4/5
      I’ve read the first few Oz books from Baum, and I’m enjoying that series. It’s fun and imaginative. That’s what I thought of this book as well, though only to a lesser extent. That’s not to say this book is worse than those of the Oz series, it’s just a different side of Baum’s writing.

      The Santa Claus mythology we know today varies from culture to culture and generation to generation. While I’ve long outgrown the holiday traditions from my childhood, this book didn’t lack in a story to draw me in and think about Santa again in my 26th year of life. Baum, like he’s known for, was able to create in a short novel, a vast world full of magic and creatures that life just outside of the human realm. Some elements are recognizable, and others may have been Baum’s own creation. not being a Santa scholar, I’ll take it as what it is, an origin story of Baum’s own mind. A refreshing one for me as a reader who grew up with Tim Allen’s Santa and many other very different versions.

      I’m glad I finally picked this one up. I continue to enjoy Baum’s stories for children and only wish I discovered them at a much earlier age to have enjoyed them all by this time in my life.
    • 3/5
      This begins with the discovery of the human baby by nymph Necile, who asks for permission from the Master Woodsman, a ruler of immortals, to keep the mortal child for her own. Named Claus, the boy is raised by all the fairies and magical creatures until the day he realizes that he must go live among other humans. He discovers a talent for toy-making, an empathy for all children, a way to carry his toys across the world and how simple B&E is.I didn't know Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, had written anything else. This was published in 1902, well before Coca-Cola provided us with the Santa we think of now, so I don't know how much Baum based his Santa on folktales and how much was his own creation. For instance, the reindeer names are Flossie, Glossie, Racer, Pacer, Reckless, Speckless, Fearless, Peerless, Ready and Steady.This is written like a very old-fashioned fairy tale and was slow going at first until I realized that this book must have been intended to be read out loud to children.
    • 2/5
      I should have been able to read this in a ridiculously short amount of time; I mean, it's a tiny book. Plus, I always try to finish books on principle. However, I couldn't finish this one. I love the story's premise and the fairies, nymphs and other magical creatures were delightful. But I can't get past L. Frank Baum's writing style. I find it stifling and looking back, I suppose I've always found his writing stifling because I've never been able to get the whole way through one of his books. Every time I even think about finishing this book I cringe, so I think I'm just going to cut myself a break and go read something more enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      A delightful children's fantasy. A reminder of what made Baum's books so enjoyable. The older style of writing may take some getting used to, but it is well worth it. By removing Santa Claus to the realm of folklore, he can explain who Santa Claus is, how he does what he does and why he does what he does without getting involved with the conflict of the religion of Christmas. You can have both.
    • 5/5
      I owned a copy of this book when I was a child and I still, many, many years later, mourn its loss. This was one of my favorite books and I can't begin to say how beautiful a story I find it. I love the way that Baum mingled fairies and animal wonder tales with the Santa Claus mythology to create a new version of the story.The version I owned as a child was a very early edition and had beautiful illustrations, but I don't know if it was a first edition; that edition was illustrated by Mary Cowles Clark. My local library has copies illustrated by Michael Hague. I think he's a wonderful illustrator, but I imprinted on the pictures from my childhood.
    • 5/5
      Beautifully illustrated book of how Santa Claus came to be. Not the usual story - beginning with the fantasical fairytale of St. Nick being raised by woodland fairies to finding reindeer to building toys and finally becomming immortal.
    • 2/5
      Meh. It's an unremarkable late Victorian children's tale. Merely unremarkable (and I'm finding I don't much care for the late-Vic-children's-tale as a genre, so "unremarkable" counts against it in my book). Employs a non-traditional "pantheon" of magical beings (knooks? ryls?) in the regular (non-magical) world, with which I did not connect. I thought there were lots of inconsistencies, large and small, and several things that just were not credible (not only did Santa invent toys, but he continues to monopolize absolutely this "cottage" {hee hee} industry). Plus some Victorian social bias slips through (e.g., the rich children speak well, the poor ones do not).

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    Life and Adventures of Santa Claus - L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum

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