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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
A holiday classic from the author of The Wizard of Oz

Where did Santa Claus come from? In this classic tale from Oz scribe L. Frank Baum, the beloved symbol of Christmas is removed from his conventional trappings and placed into the world of imaginative folklore. From his humble beginnings in an enchanted forest of mythical creatures to his toy deliveries to all the world's children, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is a must read for all ages.

Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

excellent pictures for a holiday treat November 29, 2008
The pictures for this edition of "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" are really the main features. Ploog was the conceptual artist for Disney's "Return To Oz" and it shows particularly in the nome king who resembles the character from the movie. His characters are well done and very original. The great Ak is well portrayed and seems like a fatherly tender giant while the awgwas are suitably horrifying. His Santa Claus begins as a cute child who grows to be a suitable Santa Claus who truly feels the need to help the world's children with his toys. Ploog's nymphs are like stylized Barbie Dolls with boufaunt hair cuts. They could look more otherworldly but then again that is not the biggest flaw in this version of Baum's tale. The main flaw here is changing the way the battle of good and evil was fought. In the book the immortals seek to defend Claus from the powers of the Awgwas but in this version Santa joins the battle and ends up killing the king of the Awgwas. the aim of the battle here is to rescue the pet monkey, Toy, who dies in the battle. The mistake here is to have the man of peace, Santa Claus, kill a major character which detracts from Baum's message of a character who would never fight a battle.

However the pictures here are very good and fun to look at. For the most part the adaptation is not bad but perhaps doing the pictures for un-edited version would have been better. it is still a great book to look at.

Philip

4 out of 5 stars

Cute fiction built around Santa Claus June 29, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I remember reading this book around fifth grade. I kind of liked it then, I think because of the whole fairies thing.

Basically the story follows the life of Claus, a baby adopted by fairies. (The story starts in fairy land and much of it involves the fairies and woodland spirits. If you are expecting traditional Christmas lore you will get that but not quite yet.) The fairies are immortal, but Claus will grow up and age. When he has grown to be a teenager the fairies set him up in a cottage in the woods. Apparently they are bringing him food and necessities, so his only job is to discover his purpose in life. He begins to make toys for children to cheer them up, and the story goes from there.

The entire host of fairies gets involved in toy production. Instead of making toys like the merry elves, they bring colors from flowers and other magical properties that Claus can include in his toys. This reads like a fairy tale and grdually Baum brings in elements from the Santa mythology. The transition from fairies and magic to Santa is what I liked most in the book.

I recently reread this book and liked it except for the whole toys making kids happy thing. Its not that I dislike kids or toys. Here Claus (obviously the future Santa Claus) makes toys for children and the toys are the panacea that makes their world perfect. With a small carved toy dog all of a sudden they are kind to siblings, respect their parents and are bursting with joy. If he passed out lifetime supplies of cocain and valium he couldn't make them happier. If I were to find that Baum had been commissioned by a department store to write this book as a special advertising section for holiday spending then that would explain alot. The huge emphasis on more toys=happy makes the book a little sick.

Overall this is a nifty twist on the Santa Claus myth. It reads well even in the summertime. The only drawback is the huge focus on happiness through toys. The only moral that I could extract from the story is that children NEED toys to be happy and this is soooo important that the entire world of fairy restructures itself around toys. Good story but it sometimes feels like good press for the toy department.

5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Holiday Book for All Ages January 7, 2004
1 out of 3 found this review helpful

Claus, a young baby discovered by a a wood-nymph named Necile, becomes the first human to ever be raised in an enchanted forest, by all types of mythical creatures, including elves and wood nymphs, Ak, the master woodsman, and the evil Awgwas. During his time with the mythical creatures, Claus adopts a love for making toys, and making children happy. He soon decides to deliver toys to all of the children in the land, and is quickly given the name Santa Claus, as he is now known as a Saint, and someone who brought happiness to all.

Baum has done a fantastic job in creating and describing a magical world, such as the one in which Claus resides. Filled with information about how Santa Claus chooses his reindeer, why he goes down chimneys, how he makes his toys, etc., this book is sure to please. Readers young and old will find themselves believing the magic that is Santa Claus. A must-have book for all.

Erika Sorocco

5 out of 5 stars A Santa Claus like you've never seen December 18, 2002
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

L. Frank Baum was one of the great fantasy writers of the early 20th century -- in fact, were it not for Tolkien, I'd be tempted to call him the greatest in 100 years. His Oz books created a beautiful, vibrant land that still draws readers a century later. This book, his twist on the legend of Santa Claus, is part of that wonderful tapestry he wove.

Forget all of the Santa Claus legends you've read before -- there's no North Pole, no elves, no Bergermeistermeisterberger -- the story starts with a baby found in the woods by the fairy Necile. She raises him as her son, Claus (or "Ni-claus," meaning "Little Claus"), until the child begins to wonder about his own people. Shown the dangers of the human world by the great Ak, Claus decides to venture forth amongst the mortals regardless.

Claus gets a lot of credit in this story, from inventing the first toy to inspiring a war amongst immortals to retrieve them, and all of it is done in Baum's clear, clean style that is as easy to read today as it was in his time. It might not be the best book for a small child, who may ask questions trying to reconcile this unique version of Santa with the one he knows, but for an older child who understands that the spirit of Santa Claus is what's important it is a wonderful book. I re-read it every December.

4 out of 5 stars Santa Claus is back in Town! November 27, 2002
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

In author L. Frank Baum's book, nymph Necile finds a tiny babe in the forest of Buzee and raises him along with the help of the great spirits, elves, nymphs, knooks and ryls under the wisdom and guidance of the great Ak (Leader of all the great Spirits). She names him Claus who later grows up asking what is his purpose in life, and then decides to make toys to deliver to all boys and girls on one special night out of the year. But as time passes he soon he discovers that he is growing old. . .

A great book by L. Frank Baum that explores the fantastical life of Santa Claus-a real joy and gem to read, especially when you come to realize how many years ago this book was written. Baum's work here is so imaginative that many of today's stories of Santa Claus in my opinion pale in comparison.