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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Great Santa origin story (completely fiction) from the writer of the Wizard of Oz.
Excellent for reading to kiddos (unless you rely heavily on the naughty and nice lists as this Santa doesn't believe in excluding naughty kids).
Excellent for reading to kiddos (unless you rely heavily on the naughty and nice lists as this Santa doesn't believe in excluding naughty kids).
This was a really, really interesting origin story for Santa Claus. I think its a great way to explain Santa Claus to your children.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Sometimes it may be better not to revisit childhood favorites. I read this annually from about age eight to fifteen and remembered it as pure magic, but I had forgotten most of the details in the intervening years. Turns out it's extremely paternalistic and rather materialistic as well (neither of which should really be a surprise for a book about Santa Claus written in 1902, but it's still a disappointment). Some early bits sound weirdly anti-capitalist, which was a pleasant surprise, but this theme isn't borne out by the rest of the story. Altogether not the Christmas magic I was hoping for. I think my next Christmas audiobook choice will be David Sedaris's Holidays on Ice - at least with Sedaris I know exactly the gut-busting cynicism I'm in for.
Just a childhood favourite that I rediscovered on my shelves yesterday and squealed with joy
For my full, non-spoiler review: https://christianlovingbooks.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-life-and-adventures-of-santa-claus.html
A magical story of which Baum uses various fables about Santa Claus to create his life story. Definitely on par with The Wizard of Oz books.
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.
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.
This wasn't as good as I had hoped for. but it was interesting enough to pass the time. I like L. Frank Baum's world-building, but his plotting and characters are never that strong, in my opinion. That was true for this as well. I still think I would recommend it as a sweet story and a decent Santa origin tale, but don't expect it to blow you away