The Boy Who Lived In Pudding Lane: Being a true account, if only you believe it, of the life and ways of Santa, oldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Claus

By Sarah Addington

The Boy Who Lived In Pudding Lane - "Being a true account, if only you believe it, of the life and ways of Santa, oldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Claus" first appeared in the
American magazine, Ladies Home Journal, for Christmas in 1921 and was published as a hardcover the following year. Author Sarah Addington's charming story of the boyhood life of dear Santa Claus became an instant classic, and is lovingly reproduced in a facsimile
edition for the first time here, including the original size, page format, and layout.

The original illustrations reproduced for this edition are magnificent, and were originally created by prominent American illustrator Gertrude Kay, whose iconic style
with Ladies Home Journal started a career in children’s illustrations that included her famous Alice in Wonderland edition in 1923, among her other works.

The story follows Santa as he grows up in Pudding Lane, eventually to become the famed gift-giver who flies around the world – and would spawn a line of books about the Lane and it cast of characters released by Addington and Kay throughout the 1920s.

A perfect gift book to read each year to children of all ages, The Boy Who Lived in Pudding Lane is now back in print in a stunning edition that will be a treasured heirloom
for families to share.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Grafton And Scratch Publishers
• Release date: Sep 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9781927979273

Book preview

Lane

INTRODUCING THE FAMILY

ONCE UPON A TIME, in the kingdom of Old King Cole, there lived a father and a mother, and a fat little boy who was always dressed in a bright red suit. The father, whose name was Mr. Claus, was a baker, and he lived in Pudding Lane, between the butcher and the candle-stick-maker.

Mr. Claus was really about the best baker in the world. He knew so well how to make little cake puppies, with red-currant eyes. And he knew so well how to make funny gingerbread Brownies, with black-raisin eyes. He made great fat loaves of bread, warm and golden and crusty. And he made little plum tarts, that a boy could eat up in one gobble, and a girl could eat up in two.

All the boys and girls who lived in Pudding Lane used to play around Mr. Claus’s shop, and Mr. Claus, being a generous baker, almost always gave them cake-dough puppies, or gingerbread Brownies, when they came. And often, when he was busy, he would send out his little boy, Santa, to give the children their pastries.

The children loved the little fat Santa even more than they did the cake-dough puppies and the gingerbread Brownies. He was such a jolly little chap, with a smile that crinkled up his round nose, blue eyes brimful of merriment, and a waddle that made all the children laugh, as he staggered under loaves and cookies.

You look like your grandmother’s gander when you walk, they would cry.

And sure enough, he did walk very much like his grandmother’s gander. But this was a high honor, indeed, for his Grandmother was that great person, Mother Goose, and her gander was a bird much admired by the children of Pudding Lane.

Almost every day the children would come, and Santa would give them sweet things from the bakeshop until they couldn’t eat any more. Pretty soon, Mr. Claus began to complain.

How can I make money, Santa, if you give away everything and leave me nothing to sell? Yesterday, you gave away every cookie in the shop, and left only the cinnamon cow on the counter. And her right horn was broken off.

But little Santa knew that his father was not serious, and that everything was really going very well indeed. For they were warm and cosy in their rooms behind the shop, and they had plenty of hot soup and sausages to eat. Moreover, every night, when the butcher and the candlestick-maker came over to sit with the baker, they always said that business was good, and praised Old King Cole to the skies.

Santa would give them sweet things from the bake-shop until they couldn’t eat any more

SANTA’S BROTHERS COME TO TOWN

THEN, ONE DAY, Santa was told that he had two little brothers.

Two! he cried.

This was a surprise. And sure enough, there in the cradle near the stove, he saw them, a pair of squirming, purplish objects, who made dreadful faces at him when he peeped at them, and who gave out strange noises. They were very odd creatures, indeed, and little Santa wondered if they’d ever grow up to be anything at all, with that start.

But they did. They soon learned to smile, in a wide, toothless fashion that made

Reviews for The Boy Who Lived In Pudding Lane

[lilyroseshadowlyn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A delightful combination of nursery rhymes and fantasy tells the origins of Santa Claus. Children and adults will love this delightful story with its beautiful illustrations. A very fun read.

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a cute story that was originally published in 1922. It describes the life of Santa Claus as a boy and how he became the giver of gifts of Christmas. Pudding Lane was where many of the Nursery Rhyme characters we know and love lived. Parts of the rhymes are incorporated in the story. We are introduced to Mother Goose who is Santa's grandmother. It was a cute story, but is more for older children (6 and up) as my grandson quickly lost interest. The illustrations are beautiful in the old style, but again, did not really interest my younger grandson. I would like to have a copy of this book in my family library to read to them when they are a little older. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.