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Santa: My Life and Times
The man, the myth, the legend: Santa Claus. The story behind Santa Claus has always obscured the truth about the real man who lies behind the beard. This is his revealing story, presented for the first time: from his early teenage years when he walked into a forest and was discovered by elves, to his first moments with the future Mrs. Claus, to today -- when Santa brings his message of hope, joy and love to the lives of people around the world. The spectacular full-color artwork is by award-winning artist Bill Sienkiewicz, a favorite among fans of graphic art.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 29, 2021
While the illustrations were fabulously beautiful and mesmerizing, the writing in this book was only so-so. It took leaps in the plot that were jarring, giving me a feeling of, "Uh, ok, I guess this is happening now," and the way the elves were written seemed to be an attempt at a sort of mystical whimsy, but it really came across as half-baked. The poems were the most difficult part of the writing for me. They didn't have a consistent rhythm, so they were hard to read. I took a full star off my rating for the writing issues, but the illustrations really were so gorgeous that they saved the book for me. I'll be keeping this one in my holiday collection, just for these beautiful pictures!
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December 14, 2021When I first heard of this I couldn't understand why, of all the comics artists, you'd choose Bill Sienkiewicz to illustrate a life of Santa. Does Elektra: Assassin or Stray Toasters really suggest seasonal jollity? Was this not more of a Roger Langridge or Jill Thompson gig? More fool me: he absolutely nails it, the house in the northern woods and the sleigh leaping into the sky looking at once utterly magical and entirely familiar (the Estonians have a word for it), the colours recalling a less pervy Klimt. The story...well, I've never been altogether sure about giving Santa an origin story, and if you must fill out the archetype at all, then obviously the version I happened to read at exactly the right age (and I wish I could remember who it was by, though maybe it works better that I can't) is the canonical account. But while some of the songs and rhymes here were a little over-spiced, there were sweet details too, and I particularly liked that Santa's adoptive dad is called Anselm. Because, not that anything is ever made of that, but the obvious implication to me is that if you follow the ontological argument to its conclusion, then isn't Santa a far better, and thus truer, entity to exist than some miserable monotheist deity?
January 5, 2022
This beguiling children’s picture book combines artfully painted pictures with a long and detailed autobiography of that jolly old elf himself. The book brims with invention, from a tea-soaked fireplace chat with one of the aged recipients of his gifts to falls into gardens, quiet encounters with woodland beasts and the spriteliness of mischievous elves.
Nicholas’s kindness leads him into lifelong friendships, occasional peril and a blunder that nearly destroys his elven workshop. Through it all, he strives always to do the right thing, even if he isn’t always certain what that is. The story also explains some of the more peculiar elements of Christmas as modern people know it, such as the business of hanging stockings, leaving food for Santa or bedecking a tree with lights, toys, tinsel and colored ornaments or how Nicholas got those elves in the first place.
The illustrations are just as incredible as the story itself. Aswirl with gentle washes of color, they are like small paintings, outlining Nicholas’s thrilling life from boyhood to eternal saint. Sometimes they take up an entire page; other times they form miniature vignettes highlighting a particular moment. They give the book a charming, old-fashioned look that accords well with its subject.
This is a splendid addition to any child’s library and a wondrous Christmas gift, especially for a little one that hasn’t yet grown too jaded to believe in Santa or Christmas miracles.
Nicholas’s kindness leads him into lifelong friendships, occasional peril and a blunder that nearly destroys his elven workshop. Through it all, he strives always to do the right thing, even if he isn’t always certain what that is. The story also explains some of the more peculiar elements of Christmas as modern people know it, such as the business of hanging stockings, leaving food for Santa or bedecking a tree with lights, toys, tinsel and colored ornaments or how Nicholas got those elves in the first place.
The illustrations are just as incredible as the story itself. Aswirl with gentle washes of color, they are like small paintings, outlining Nicholas’s thrilling life from boyhood to eternal saint. Sometimes they take up an entire page; other times they form miniature vignettes highlighting a particular moment. They give the book a charming, old-fashioned look that accords well with its subject.
This is a splendid addition to any child’s library and a wondrous Christmas gift, especially for a little one that hasn’t yet grown too jaded to believe in Santa or Christmas miracles.
January 5, 2017
Picked this up from a random shelf in the library a few weeks ago, and Joel and I took turns reading it out loud. The illustrations are gorgeous, but the story was at times a bit lack-luster... L. Frank Baum does the better Santa back-story.
December 19, 2016
The story was ok - I liked the origins part, but sometimes Santa's adventures were actually a bit dry/stale. But the illustrations were beautiful and very colourful, so it might hold interest as a real-aloud for a chapter at a time.
December 26, 2022
This book was okay. I'm glad i read this, and it's a great way to get into the Christmas spirit, but was lacking in many ways in several different parts.
The illustrations are really cool, but all of the elves and evil guys are hideous. 🤷🏻♂️
The story seemed dry at certain parts and many things were left unexplained
(or explained in a poor way: "It's JuSt mAGic"🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️). Not the best writing. I bet even a child would be bored by this.
The story was sort of all over the place and never stayed on a good part long enough.
L. Frank Baum's "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" is one thousand times better than this book. Every moment of that book is perfect and explains everything amazingly! There are also gorgeous illustrations in that book. Pass this up and read Baum's origin story for Santa!
📚🎄🎁Some parts i liked from the book:
"Do you know why I like giving gifts, Nicholas? I'll tell you.
It's because it keeps me from feeling poor. Why, even the simplest things become priceless when they are given out of love. That's why you can never feel poor if you're able to give something to someone."
-Santa’s dad Anselm
"I began simply, using a trick that my father had taught me years before, and if you'll let me, I would like to teach it to you now.
Wherever you are at this moment, simply stop and look around. You can look at the patterns in the grain of a wooden floor, if you like, or if you are sitting by a fire, watching the flames will do nicely. I've always found that clouds on a sunny day work best of all, but it's all a matter of preference. Now, once you've found something to look at, concentrate very hard, and soon you will begin to see that there are pictures in everything, even in places you might never have thought to find them. The longer you look, the more pictures you will see as the patterns move and change.
The reason for this is that everything, everywhere, has a story it wants to tell, and so if you are ever stuck for an idea, all you have to do is let the world tell you its stories. The same is true for carving wood, Anselm always said, for the wood already has an idea of what it wants to be, and the finest work is done when you just let it guide your hand."
-Santa
"There is truly nothing that makes the days go faster than the sweet anticipation of something special. It's that feeling of excitement that comes with the first rumblings of a thunderstorm, or the beginning of spring, or - as you and I have both come to know so well - before the magical dawning of Christmas day. This was the kind of anticipation that I had as the last toys were painted and the final preparations were being made for my very first journey."
-Santa
“All in good time and all time is good, so listen and you will understand."
-Giraldus
"But I thought..." | began, only to be interrupted by a tiny voice from my left ear.
"Thought! A thought is no more than an itch on your brain!"
"That's right!" chimed in a second voice into the other ear.
"Why do you suppose everyone always runs about saying, 'Scratch that thought! Scratch that thought!'"
Both voices promptly broke out into great hiccups of laughter, tickled silly by their own joke.
"The moral herein is to think for yourself, And don't believe all that you hear.
Never judge at one look what's inside of a book,
Unless the cover is perfectly clear."
-Poem spoken by Giraldus & Estivus
The illustrations are really cool, but all of the elves and evil guys are hideous. 🤷🏻♂️
The story seemed dry at certain parts and many things were left unexplained
(or explained in a poor way: "It's JuSt mAGic"🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️). Not the best writing. I bet even a child would be bored by this.
The story was sort of all over the place and never stayed on a good part long enough.
L. Frank Baum's "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" is one thousand times better than this book. Every moment of that book is perfect and explains everything amazingly! There are also gorgeous illustrations in that book. Pass this up and read Baum's origin story for Santa!
📚🎄🎁Some parts i liked from the book:
"Do you know why I like giving gifts, Nicholas? I'll tell you.
It's because it keeps me from feeling poor. Why, even the simplest things become priceless when they are given out of love. That's why you can never feel poor if you're able to give something to someone."
-Santa’s dad Anselm
"I began simply, using a trick that my father had taught me years before, and if you'll let me, I would like to teach it to you now.
Wherever you are at this moment, simply stop and look around. You can look at the patterns in the grain of a wooden floor, if you like, or if you are sitting by a fire, watching the flames will do nicely. I've always found that clouds on a sunny day work best of all, but it's all a matter of preference. Now, once you've found something to look at, concentrate very hard, and soon you will begin to see that there are pictures in everything, even in places you might never have thought to find them. The longer you look, the more pictures you will see as the patterns move and change.
The reason for this is that everything, everywhere, has a story it wants to tell, and so if you are ever stuck for an idea, all you have to do is let the world tell you its stories. The same is true for carving wood, Anselm always said, for the wood already has an idea of what it wants to be, and the finest work is done when you just let it guide your hand."
-Santa
"There is truly nothing that makes the days go faster than the sweet anticipation of something special. It's that feeling of excitement that comes with the first rumblings of a thunderstorm, or the beginning of spring, or - as you and I have both come to know so well - before the magical dawning of Christmas day. This was the kind of anticipation that I had as the last toys were painted and the final preparations were being made for my very first journey."
-Santa
“All in good time and all time is good, so listen and you will understand."
-Giraldus
"But I thought..." | began, only to be interrupted by a tiny voice from my left ear.
"Thought! A thought is no more than an itch on your brain!"
"That's right!" chimed in a second voice into the other ear.
"Why do you suppose everyone always runs about saying, 'Scratch that thought! Scratch that thought!'"
Both voices promptly broke out into great hiccups of laughter, tickled silly by their own joke.
"The moral herein is to think for yourself, And don't believe all that you hear.
Never judge at one look what's inside of a book,
Unless the cover is perfectly clear."
-Poem spoken by Giraldus & Estivus
December 20, 2021
I don't know how to rate this one because it is a little all over the place so going with my standard rating of 3.5 for I-don't-know books. But the illustrations are fabulous. Even kept my toddler enthralled and that's saying something in a 128 page picture book.
January 1, 2024
The illustrations are beautiful and though the story is not the traditional stories you may have heard before, it still encompasses the magic of Santa Clause and the joy of celebrating the present moment.
February 14, 2021
This one was good. Totally understands the magic of Santa.
December 11, 2022
Love the illustrations.
December 23, 2009
This is an interesting take on how Santa becomes Santa. Bill Sienkiewicz's illustrations are beautiful.
May 10, 2010
Beautifully illustrated.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews