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The Magic Pudding
The adventures of those splendid fellows Bunyip Bluegum, Bill Barnacle and Sam Sawnoff, the penguin bold, and of course their amazing, everlasting and very cantankerous Puddin'.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1918
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1,739 people want to read
About the author
Norman Lindsay
81Ìýbooks23ÌýfollowersNorman Alfred William Lindsay was an Australian artist. Lindsay was born in Creswick, Victoria. He was a prolific artist, sculptor, writer, editorial cartoonist and scale modeler, as well as being a highly talented boxer.
Norman was the son of Irish surgeon Robert Charles William Alexander Lindsay and Jane Elizabeth Lindsay from Creswick. Fifth of ten children, he was the brother of Percy Lindsay (1870-1952), Lionel Lindsay (1874-1961), Ruby Lindsay (1885-1919), and Daryl Lindsay (1889-1976).
He married Catherine (Kate) Agatha Parkinson, in Melbourne on 23 May 1900. Their son Jack was born, in Melbourne, on 20 October 1900, followed by Raymond in 1903 and Phillip in 1906. They divorced in 1918. Phillip died in 1958 and Raymond in 1960. In the Lindsay tradition, Jack would be prolific as a publisher, writer, translator and activist.
Rose Soady began modelling for Norman in 1902. She would become his second wife, his most recognizable model, his business manager, and the printer for most of his etchings. By the time he left for London in 1909, Rose had supplanted his wife and joined him there in 1910.
He married Rose Soady on 14 January 1920. Their children, Janet and Helen (Honey) were born in 1920 and 1922 respectively. Honey would remain in the U.S. after visiting with her mother to cache her father's works at the beginning of World War II and Jane would acquire the printmaking studio on the Faulconbridge property in 1949 and build a house around it.
He is widely regarded as one of Australia's greatest artists, producing a vast body of work in different media, including pen drawing, etching, watercolour, oil and sculptures in concrete and bronze.
A large body of his work is housed in his former home at Faulconbridge, New South Wales, now the Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum, and many works reside in private and corporate collections. His art continues to climb in value today. In 2002, a record price was attained by his oil painting, Spring's Innocence, which sold to the National Gallery of Victoria for $AU333,900.
Norman was the son of Irish surgeon Robert Charles William Alexander Lindsay and Jane Elizabeth Lindsay from Creswick. Fifth of ten children, he was the brother of Percy Lindsay (1870-1952), Lionel Lindsay (1874-1961), Ruby Lindsay (1885-1919), and Daryl Lindsay (1889-1976).
He married Catherine (Kate) Agatha Parkinson, in Melbourne on 23 May 1900. Their son Jack was born, in Melbourne, on 20 October 1900, followed by Raymond in 1903 and Phillip in 1906. They divorced in 1918. Phillip died in 1958 and Raymond in 1960. In the Lindsay tradition, Jack would be prolific as a publisher, writer, translator and activist.
Rose Soady began modelling for Norman in 1902. She would become his second wife, his most recognizable model, his business manager, and the printer for most of his etchings. By the time he left for London in 1909, Rose had supplanted his wife and joined him there in 1910.
He married Rose Soady on 14 January 1920. Their children, Janet and Helen (Honey) were born in 1920 and 1922 respectively. Honey would remain in the U.S. after visiting with her mother to cache her father's works at the beginning of World War II and Jane would acquire the printmaking studio on the Faulconbridge property in 1949 and build a house around it.
He is widely regarded as one of Australia's greatest artists, producing a vast body of work in different media, including pen drawing, etching, watercolour, oil and sculptures in concrete and bronze.
A large body of his work is housed in his former home at Faulconbridge, New South Wales, now the Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum, and many works reside in private and corporate collections. His art continues to climb in value today. In 2002, a record price was attained by his oil painting, Spring's Innocence, which sold to the National Gallery of Victoria for $AU333,900.
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March 23, 2025
Phillip Pullman says The Magic Pudding, Being the Adventures of Bunyip Bluegum and his friends Bill Barnacle and Sam Sawnoff is his favourite book. He maintains that it is, "the funniest children's book ever written." And the "New York Review of Books" calls it, "Wild and woolly, funny and outrageously fun." It certainly is extremely silly and engaging, this Australian children's story, a classic from 1918. Written and illustrated by Norman Lindsay, it is partly a narrative, and partly in rhyming verse.
Reading it feels like reading a cross between Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear and A. A. Milne. "Alice in Wonderland" dates from 1865, and Edward Lear's "Nonsense Songs" from 1871, so it can be inferred that these works might have had an influence on the author. "Winnie the Pooh" however, dates from 1926, so clearly this work did not! It is very much akin to that type of literature, however. And as with those authors, although the story and characters appeal to very young children, it is a story which is better read aloud, as the language used is sometimes quite difficult.
The story is about a group of friends, wild Australian anthropomorphised creatures. The two main characters are Bunyip Bluegum and his Uncle Wattleberry, both koalas, whose pomposity may make you laugh out loud. In fact Uncle Wattleberry performs a similar role to Owl, in the "Winnie the Pooh" stories,
"'Apologies are totally inadequate,' shouted Uncle Wattleberry. 'Nothing short of felling you to the earth with an umbrella could possibly atone for the outrage. You are a danger to the whisker-growing public. You have knocked my hat off, pulled my whiskers, and tried to remove my nose.'
There is Bill Barnacle the sailor, and Sam Sawnoff the penguin. Then there is Albert the cantankerous pudding of the title. He is magic, because no matter how often the pudding is eaten, he always becomes whole again - surely every child's dream of a pudding!
"There's nothing this Puddin' enjoys more than offering slices of himself to strangers,"
says Bill Barnacle. These friends become the "Noble Society of Pudding Owners."
On their travels they meet with several other animal characters. There's Henderson Hedgehog Horticulturalist, a "low larrikin" Kookaburra, a parrot who was a Swagman (or a Swagman who was a parrot), an elderly dog and market gardener Benjimin Brandysnap, and a bandicoot "naturally of a terrified disposition" carrying a melon. And every now and then the "Noble Society of Pudding Owners" are set upon by two dastardly puddin' thieves, the Wombat and the "snooting snouting scoundrel," the Possum.
The story romps along with abandon, including sailors, firemen, and culminating in a court scene, in the sleepy town of Tooraloo. This is very reminiscent of the Queen of Hearts's Court in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." There is even a reference to cards, as the judge and the court usher are playing cards. It has a similar feeling of elaborate speechifying and pomposity, and a similarly chaotic dreamlike ending to the episode.
Adults may well find themselves chortling along with the children,
"The Mayor turned so pale at this that the Constable had to thrust a banana into his mouth to restore his courage. "Thank you," said the Mayor peevishly; "but, on the whole, I prefer to be restored with peeled bananas,""
"You're a carrot-nosed poltroon," said the Puddin' loudly, "As for the Mayor he's a sausage-shaped porous plaster."
Everything is described with hilarity and extravagance. It is a children's fantasy without a witch or a goblin in sight. Norman Lindsay maintained that children were mainly interested in food and fighting, rather than fairies, and that is what he chose to write his story about.
"Hearty eaters," as Sam Sawnoff says, "are always welcome."
The story is full of charm and whimsy. Every page has line drawings, also by Norman Lindsay. The verses, so similar to Edward Lear, are little stories in themselves, reflect the varying moods of the characters. Most of all though, it is rumbustious, Australian to its core, and fun. Expect a great deal of exuberance and a dash of oddity especially in the versifying, because,
"'The exigencies of rhyme,' said Bunyip Bluegum, 'may stand excused from a too strict insistence on verisimilitude, so that the general gaiety is thereby promoted.'"
Here's a personal favourite, where Benjimin Brandysnap reads his defence to the jury - "the activity of the vegetables, as hereunder described -
On Tuesday morn, as it happened by chance,
The parsnips stormed in a rage,
Because the young carrots were singing like parrots
On top of the onions' cage.
The radishes swarmed on the angry air
Around with the bumble bees,
While the brussels-sprouts were pulling the snouts
Of all the young French peas.
The artichokes bounded up and down
On top of the pumpkins' heads
And the cabbage was dancing the highland fling
All over the onion beds.
So I hadn't much time, as Your Honour perceives
For watching the habits of puddin'-thieves."
Reading it feels like reading a cross between Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear and A. A. Milne. "Alice in Wonderland" dates from 1865, and Edward Lear's "Nonsense Songs" from 1871, so it can be inferred that these works might have had an influence on the author. "Winnie the Pooh" however, dates from 1926, so clearly this work did not! It is very much akin to that type of literature, however. And as with those authors, although the story and characters appeal to very young children, it is a story which is better read aloud, as the language used is sometimes quite difficult.
The story is about a group of friends, wild Australian anthropomorphised creatures. The two main characters are Bunyip Bluegum and his Uncle Wattleberry, both koalas, whose pomposity may make you laugh out loud. In fact Uncle Wattleberry performs a similar role to Owl, in the "Winnie the Pooh" stories,
"'Apologies are totally inadequate,' shouted Uncle Wattleberry. 'Nothing short of felling you to the earth with an umbrella could possibly atone for the outrage. You are a danger to the whisker-growing public. You have knocked my hat off, pulled my whiskers, and tried to remove my nose.'
There is Bill Barnacle the sailor, and Sam Sawnoff the penguin. Then there is Albert the cantankerous pudding of the title. He is magic, because no matter how often the pudding is eaten, he always becomes whole again - surely every child's dream of a pudding!
"There's nothing this Puddin' enjoys more than offering slices of himself to strangers,"
says Bill Barnacle. These friends become the "Noble Society of Pudding Owners."
On their travels they meet with several other animal characters. There's Henderson Hedgehog Horticulturalist, a "low larrikin" Kookaburra, a parrot who was a Swagman (or a Swagman who was a parrot), an elderly dog and market gardener Benjimin Brandysnap, and a bandicoot "naturally of a terrified disposition" carrying a melon. And every now and then the "Noble Society of Pudding Owners" are set upon by two dastardly puddin' thieves, the Wombat and the "snooting snouting scoundrel," the Possum.
The story romps along with abandon, including sailors, firemen, and culminating in a court scene, in the sleepy town of Tooraloo. This is very reminiscent of the Queen of Hearts's Court in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." There is even a reference to cards, as the judge and the court usher are playing cards. It has a similar feeling of elaborate speechifying and pomposity, and a similarly chaotic dreamlike ending to the episode.
Adults may well find themselves chortling along with the children,
"The Mayor turned so pale at this that the Constable had to thrust a banana into his mouth to restore his courage. "Thank you," said the Mayor peevishly; "but, on the whole, I prefer to be restored with peeled bananas,""
"You're a carrot-nosed poltroon," said the Puddin' loudly, "As for the Mayor he's a sausage-shaped porous plaster."
Everything is described with hilarity and extravagance. It is a children's fantasy without a witch or a goblin in sight. Norman Lindsay maintained that children were mainly interested in food and fighting, rather than fairies, and that is what he chose to write his story about.
"Hearty eaters," as Sam Sawnoff says, "are always welcome."
The story is full of charm and whimsy. Every page has line drawings, also by Norman Lindsay. The verses, so similar to Edward Lear, are little stories in themselves, reflect the varying moods of the characters. Most of all though, it is rumbustious, Australian to its core, and fun. Expect a great deal of exuberance and a dash of oddity especially in the versifying, because,
"'The exigencies of rhyme,' said Bunyip Bluegum, 'may stand excused from a too strict insistence on verisimilitude, so that the general gaiety is thereby promoted.'"
Here's a personal favourite, where Benjimin Brandysnap reads his defence to the jury - "the activity of the vegetables, as hereunder described -
On Tuesday morn, as it happened by chance,
The parsnips stormed in a rage,
Because the young carrots were singing like parrots
On top of the onions' cage.
The radishes swarmed on the angry air
Around with the bumble bees,
While the brussels-sprouts were pulling the snouts
Of all the young French peas.
The artichokes bounded up and down
On top of the pumpkins' heads
And the cabbage was dancing the highland fling
All over the onion beds.
So I hadn't much time, as Your Honour perceives
For watching the habits of puddin'-thieves."
January 6, 2013
"Gentlemen," said the Judge, "I must remind you that we require a Review!"
"We don't needs no Review," replied Sam rudely, "We just needs to get away from them rascally Puddin'-thieves." And he pointed to the Wombat and the Possum, lurking in the comment thread, who looked up with a guilty start.
"Ignore his foolish protestations, your honour," said the Wombat hurriedly. "I am merely a connoisseur of the late Marcel Proust, who has wandered in here for a momentary break from the rigours of Doo cotay der shay Swann. Parlay-voo fronsay?"
"Your arguments appear entirely satisfactory," began the Judge. But Sam and Bill paid him no attention and gave the Possum and the Wombat such a hail of uppercuts and snoutbendings that they fled, flagging posts left and right as they clattered down the stairs.
"Good riddance to the both of them," said Bunyip with evident satisfaction. "Now, unless I greatly mistake myself, I think our work here is done."
"We don't needs no Review," replied Sam rudely, "We just needs to get away from them rascally Puddin'-thieves." And he pointed to the Wombat and the Possum, lurking in the comment thread, who looked up with a guilty start.
"Ignore his foolish protestations, your honour," said the Wombat hurriedly. "I am merely a connoisseur of the late Marcel Proust, who has wandered in here for a momentary break from the rigours of Doo cotay der shay Swann. Parlay-voo fronsay?"
"Your arguments appear entirely satisfactory," began the Judge. But Sam and Bill paid him no attention and gave the Possum and the Wombat such a hail of uppercuts and snoutbendings that they fled, flagging posts left and right as they clattered down the stairs.
"Good riddance to the both of them," said Bunyip with evident satisfaction. "Now, unless I greatly mistake myself, I think our work here is done."
We don't need no clever lit critAnd picking up the Puddin', the four friends departed to seek a new generation of appreciative readers.
We don't need no smart Review
Just honest decent fisticuffs
That's bound to see us through."
February 21, 2018
"The funniest children's book ever written"? I don't think so. But then, Philip Pullman, who wrote the introduction, never struck me as being much good at humor himself. It's a fine introduction, though, especially for a children's book. Pullman obviously loves the puddin' adventures and his excitement about reading is clear.
The book itself is fun, cute, and clever. I don't think, even had I read it as a child, that it would have been dear to my heart they way it was to Pullman's: that characters are too slight and the stakes too low. To be honest, by halfway through the episodes began to pall. However, there are a number of amusing scenes and good one-liners, such as
The incident, though similar as regards courage and darin', is totally different in regard to everything else
or
Nothing short of felling you to the earth with an umbrella could possibly atone for the outrage.
I was also quite tickled by the last page where Lindsay writes, The Picture opposite saves the trouble of explaining.
Lindsay feels like a fun and sympatico guy, and I'd be interested in trying one of his (scandalous at the time, apparently) adult novels. He was also an (again, scandalous) artist.
The book itself is fun, cute, and clever. I don't think, even had I read it as a child, that it would have been dear to my heart they way it was to Pullman's: that characters are too slight and the stakes too low. To be honest, by halfway through the episodes began to pall. However, there are a number of amusing scenes and good one-liners, such as
The incident, though similar as regards courage and darin', is totally different in regard to everything else
or
Nothing short of felling you to the earth with an umbrella could possibly atone for the outrage.
I was also quite tickled by the last page where Lindsay writes, The Picture opposite saves the trouble of explaining.
Lindsay feels like a fun and sympatico guy, and I'd be interested in trying one of his (scandalous at the time, apparently) adult novels. He was also an (again, scandalous) artist.
January 10, 2017
3.5�s
Albert (the magic pudding's name), was surrounded by his owners � Sailor Bill, Bunyip Bluegum and Sam Sawnoff. The pudding was steak and kidney, but when whistled at and turned around, it was something else. It also never ran out � because it was magic. The pudding thieves tried and tried again � but it always ended up back in the rightful owners� hands.
The Magic Pudding is a delightful fable written by Aussie author and artist Norman Lindsay, back in 1918 for children everywhere. It’s beautifully illustrated, even my kindle copy, and throughout the story the friends break into song and recite poetry to their hearts� content. I downloaded my copy from Project Gutenburg for free, which anyone can do who so wishes. This Australian children’s classic is one that should be read by all lovers of great literature who enjoy a light, fun filled and entertaining read.
Albert (the magic pudding's name), was surrounded by his owners � Sailor Bill, Bunyip Bluegum and Sam Sawnoff. The pudding was steak and kidney, but when whistled at and turned around, it was something else. It also never ran out � because it was magic. The pudding thieves tried and tried again � but it always ended up back in the rightful owners� hands.
The Magic Pudding is a delightful fable written by Aussie author and artist Norman Lindsay, back in 1918 for children everywhere. It’s beautifully illustrated, even my kindle copy, and throughout the story the friends break into song and recite poetry to their hearts� content. I downloaded my copy from Project Gutenburg for free, which anyone can do who so wishes. This Australian children’s classic is one that should be read by all lovers of great literature who enjoy a light, fun filled and entertaining read.
September 7, 2024
A pudding that never finishes, no matter how much you eat of it, and which can be whatever you want: steak-and-kidney, apple dumpling, jam. He’s a rude little fellow (his name is Albert, by the way) and his magic makes him so appealing that his three owners—the sailor Bill, the penguin Sam and their new mate the koala Bunyip Bluegum—are constantly having to fight off puddin�-thieves.
I loved this book. Lindsay’s illustrations are wonderful, the poetry is a delight (the characters often speak in verse, or burst into song at the drop of a hat). Also, there’s plenty of humour, both in the situations as well as the words Lindsay and his characters use. While on this topic, I think it’s worth pointing out that this isn’t a book for very small children. In fact, given that it has episodes relating to courts and the legal system, and Bunyip (in particular) has a tendency of speaking in ‘big and boring words� (as my ten-year-old put it)�
“� My advice is this: try the case without the Judge; or, in other words, assume the legal functions of this defaulting personage in the bag-wig who is at present engaged in distending himself illegally with our Puddin’…�
—it may actually be a book more apt today for someone a little older, a little more able to appreciate the humour of it.
The perfect de-stressor. I love this one.
(Somewhat longer and more detailed review here, at my blog: )
I loved this book. Lindsay’s illustrations are wonderful, the poetry is a delight (the characters often speak in verse, or burst into song at the drop of a hat). Also, there’s plenty of humour, both in the situations as well as the words Lindsay and his characters use. While on this topic, I think it’s worth pointing out that this isn’t a book for very small children. In fact, given that it has episodes relating to courts and the legal system, and Bunyip (in particular) has a tendency of speaking in ‘big and boring words� (as my ten-year-old put it)�
“� My advice is this: try the case without the Judge; or, in other words, assume the legal functions of this defaulting personage in the bag-wig who is at present engaged in distending himself illegally with our Puddin’…�
—it may actually be a book more apt today for someone a little older, a little more able to appreciate the humour of it.
The perfect de-stressor. I love this one.
(Somewhat longer and more detailed review here, at my blog: )
January 27, 2020
This is a much larger edition of The Magic Pudding: Being The Adventures Of Bunyip Bluegum And His Friends Bill Barnacle And Sam Sawnoff, (approximately 12"x 9" or 30cm x 23cm) which will replace my earlier one. Super de-luxe or what you will, the main thing is that these illustrations by the author Norman Lindsay are in colour, and a much better size to enjoy.
Sorry, Puffin books, but this is the one I am going with. My review of the text is LINK HERE
Sorry, Puffin books, but this is the one I am going with. My review of the text is LINK HERE
June 27, 2019
Norman Lindsay was one of Australia’s most famous and controversial artists, and his drawings alone would be reason enough to add The Magic Pudding to anyone’s library, but the text (which he also wrote) is bloody hilarious.
Which character is funniest - the hook-nosed, insolent parrot? The blooming old rooster with his singed feathers? Uncle Wattleberry, in full bounding and plunging mode? Or the Puddin� himself, always eager to be eaten?
An utter classic from a high-yielding imagination.
Which character is funniest - the hook-nosed, insolent parrot? The blooming old rooster with his singed feathers? Uncle Wattleberry, in full bounding and plunging mode? Or the Puddin� himself, always eager to be eaten?
An utter classic from a high-yielding imagination.
August 3, 2017
I came to re-read this beloved book from my childhood recently as a kind of companion volume to the biography of it's author that I was at the time reading. Having read the circumstances around The Magic Pudding being written I simply had to re-read it.
It stands the tests of time very well, but with a few unusual conclusions. For example, I am not sure that it would be something the modern parent would be unequivocally enthusiastic about giving to a five year old; the protagonists are very ready to brawl with the 'puddin thieves' and I'm not sure how that level of enthusiasm for fisticuffs would go.
How would a modern child feel about the regular poetic verses? Poetry used to be a big thing in kids books, but I don't think it is so much any more.
In any case, I think all age groups should adore the artwork as much as I did when I was six and still do today, it is delightful in the extreme and if it has dated to the point of being more for older kids and adults, well, it is still quite thoroughly enjoyable for kids my age.
It stands the tests of time very well, but with a few unusual conclusions. For example, I am not sure that it would be something the modern parent would be unequivocally enthusiastic about giving to a five year old; the protagonists are very ready to brawl with the 'puddin thieves' and I'm not sure how that level of enthusiasm for fisticuffs would go.
How would a modern child feel about the regular poetic verses? Poetry used to be a big thing in kids books, but I don't think it is so much any more.
In any case, I think all age groups should adore the artwork as much as I did when I was six and still do today, it is delightful in the extreme and if it has dated to the point of being more for older kids and adults, well, it is still quite thoroughly enjoyable for kids my age.
November 21, 2015
I couldn’t remember whether I’d ever read this before or not, and now I’m finished, I’m still not sure!
It is a children’s book, but a classic one - not sure how many kids of today would read it. It is funny - about a pudding which no matter how much you eat never gets consumed, and the pudding owners and some pudding stealers. All very silly, but in a good way, but I have to say, I feel a bit sorry for the pudding owners - I know I would get heartily sick of steak and kidney pie, boiled jam roll, apple dumpling and plum duff, which seem to be all the puddings the Magic Pudding knows how to produce!
It is a children’s book, but a classic one - not sure how many kids of today would read it. It is funny - about a pudding which no matter how much you eat never gets consumed, and the pudding owners and some pudding stealers. All very silly, but in a good way, but I have to say, I feel a bit sorry for the pudding owners - I know I would get heartily sick of steak and kidney pie, boiled jam roll, apple dumpling and plum duff, which seem to be all the puddings the Magic Pudding knows how to produce!
April 24, 2010
I had a big reorganising of my bookshelves a few weeks ago, and found, tucked away on the bottom shelf of one bookcase alongside random books - Japanese dictionaries and textbooks, old teen books from when I was a teen, a Jamima Puddleduck book and various other odds and ends - this old Australian classic. Norman Lindsay is a famous Australian artist, poet and author - I hope that Australians today still know who he is but I wouldn't be surprised - saddened, yes, but not surprised - to discover that they don't. We're just not that good at keeping our famous people, our great people, alive in our memories, with a couple of exceptions. It's hard to gauge though, since it's been quite a while since I left.
is famous for his provocative and challenging paintings, around which they made a movie called Sirens (with Sam Neill as Lindsay) that, despite a stilted performance by Elle MacPherson is a great movie to watch. I can practically smell the eucalypts... Lindsay is also well-known as a children's author, a sculptor, a poet and an erotic sketch artist. His nudes are luscious. His work is often provocative.
When I was little, my mother gave me this book. The inscription reads: "To Shannon, for helping me shift the rock heap! Love from Mum" and the date, 4th of September 1985, when I was just four years old (nearly five). Books were a rare treat, as were presents outside of birthdays and Christmas, so I treasured this. The rock heap she's referring to would have been in the garden: the patch of land, 1 1/4 acres, that my parents bought off my grandfather to build a home on was a corner of the farm that was no good for farming, being a small hill - or rise - full of rocks and several very tall, very skinny pine trees that creaked in the wind. They're all gone now. The garden paths are all made using the rocks dug up from the garden, of which we never run out! Even on the farm, the worst job of all was picking up rocks after a paddock had been ploughed. Crappy job.
I was too young to read it - too many words! - but I loved gazing at the pictures, especially the one at the back. I made up a story in my head to go with the illustration, but over the years I forgot all about this book. When I rediscovered it, having followed me throughout my youth and many moves, I put it on my desk so I'd remember to read it. And finally, 15 years after my mum gave it to me, I did.
This is the story of Bunyip Bluegum, a koala, who lives with his Uncle Wattleberry. Unfortunately, there isn't enough room in the tree for the two of them and Uncle Wattleberry's huge whiskers, so Bunyip leaves home to explore the world. He comes across two characters: an old sailor named Bill and his mate Sam the penguin. They are proud "professional puddin' owners", being in the possession of a magic pudding. It can become several kinds of pudding, their favourites being steak 'n kidney and plum duff. It also walks and talks and never shrinks. It is a magic pudding.
Others covet their pudding: a Possum and a Wombat, while easily cowed by a punch to the nose, try again and again to steal the pudding. With Bunyip's help, they fight off Possum and Wombat, meet a host of other interesting characters and tell the story of two ships called the Saucy Sausage and the Salt Junk Sarah and how Bill and Sam came by the pudding in the first place.
Lindsay's animal and human characters often break into rhyme or song, and not at a young child's reading level.
Yeah, they get a bit violent - in the cartoon sense, like watching old Warner Bros. cartoons. It's very early-20th century in its tone, even with a dig or two at Jews. As a classic though, you have to take it in historical context, like with the Danish picture book .
Some of the language will be tricky for today's youth, or non-Australians. It is at times full of lingo, a mix of British and Australian:
I could probably read an analogy into this story - maybe the pudding, with its renewable resources, represents the country, and the possum and wombat thieves who want to plunder it. Or, today, the logging and mining industries, or perhaps just people themselves. I couldn't say what Lindsay intended, if anything, and you can certainly read it as a fun tale that teaches against thievery, deception and covetousness. I like the environmental angle though, it's more my style.
I wish I had memories of reading it at a younger age, that would have been nice - or of having it read to me, which would be even better. But I'm so glad I still have it, and it was such a delightful, rollicking fun story. I wouldn't want to see Lindsay slide into obscurity, and I hope he never does. But who outside of Australia has ever heard of him?
is famous for his provocative and challenging paintings, around which they made a movie called Sirens (with Sam Neill as Lindsay) that, despite a stilted performance by Elle MacPherson is a great movie to watch. I can practically smell the eucalypts... Lindsay is also well-known as a children's author, a sculptor, a poet and an erotic sketch artist. His nudes are luscious. His work is often provocative.
When I was little, my mother gave me this book. The inscription reads: "To Shannon, for helping me shift the rock heap! Love from Mum" and the date, 4th of September 1985, when I was just four years old (nearly five). Books were a rare treat, as were presents outside of birthdays and Christmas, so I treasured this. The rock heap she's referring to would have been in the garden: the patch of land, 1 1/4 acres, that my parents bought off my grandfather to build a home on was a corner of the farm that was no good for farming, being a small hill - or rise - full of rocks and several very tall, very skinny pine trees that creaked in the wind. They're all gone now. The garden paths are all made using the rocks dug up from the garden, of which we never run out! Even on the farm, the worst job of all was picking up rocks after a paddock had been ploughed. Crappy job.
I was too young to read it - too many words! - but I loved gazing at the pictures, especially the one at the back. I made up a story in my head to go with the illustration, but over the years I forgot all about this book. When I rediscovered it, having followed me throughout my youth and many moves, I put it on my desk so I'd remember to read it. And finally, 15 years after my mum gave it to me, I did.
This is the story of Bunyip Bluegum, a koala, who lives with his Uncle Wattleberry. Unfortunately, there isn't enough room in the tree for the two of them and Uncle Wattleberry's huge whiskers, so Bunyip leaves home to explore the world. He comes across two characters: an old sailor named Bill and his mate Sam the penguin. They are proud "professional puddin' owners", being in the possession of a magic pudding. It can become several kinds of pudding, their favourites being steak 'n kidney and plum duff. It also walks and talks and never shrinks. It is a magic pudding.
Others covet their pudding: a Possum and a Wombat, while easily cowed by a punch to the nose, try again and again to steal the pudding. With Bunyip's help, they fight off Possum and Wombat, meet a host of other interesting characters and tell the story of two ships called the Saucy Sausage and the Salt Junk Sarah and how Bill and Sam came by the pudding in the first place.
Lindsay's animal and human characters often break into rhyme or song, and not at a young child's reading level.
"We laugh with scorn at threats," said Bill, and he added as a warning--
"I don't repent a snout that's bent,
And if again I tap it,
Oh, with a clout I'll bend that snout
With force enough to snap it."
and Sam added for the Wombat's benefit--
"I take no shame to fight the lame
When they deserve to cop it.
So do not try to pipe your eye,
Or with my flip I'll flop it." (p34)
Yeah, they get a bit violent - in the cartoon sense, like watching old Warner Bros. cartoons. It's very early-20th century in its tone, even with a dig or two at Jews. As a classic though, you have to take it in historical context, like with the Danish picture book .
Some of the language will be tricky for today's youth, or non-Australians. It is at times full of lingo, a mix of British and Australian:
To start with, they had an unpleasant scene with a Kookaburra, a low larrikin who resented the way that Bill examined him.
"Who are you starin' at, Poodle's Whiskers?" he asked.
"Never mind," said Bill. "I'm starin' at you for a good and sufficient reason."
"Are yer?" said the Kookaburra. "Well, all I can say is that if yer don't take yer dial outer the road I'll bloomin' well take an' bounce a gibber off yer crust," and he followed them for quite a long way, singing out insulting things such as, "You with the wire whiskers," and "Get onter the bloke with the face fringe." (p90)
I could probably read an analogy into this story - maybe the pudding, with its renewable resources, represents the country, and the possum and wombat thieves who want to plunder it. Or, today, the logging and mining industries, or perhaps just people themselves. I couldn't say what Lindsay intended, if anything, and you can certainly read it as a fun tale that teaches against thievery, deception and covetousness. I like the environmental angle though, it's more my style.
I wish I had memories of reading it at a younger age, that would have been nice - or of having it read to me, which would be even better. But I'm so glad I still have it, and it was such a delightful, rollicking fun story. I wouldn't want to see Lindsay slide into obscurity, and I hope he never does. But who outside of Australia has ever heard of him?
March 28, 2016
Read this one a while ago. Just remembering it for reasons too complicated and silly to repeat here. This is pretty absurd fun about a living and treacherous pudding and its travel companions (as all keepers of the pudding come to discover, it's hard to be in possession of a pudding that everybody wants). That's about all I remember. I was at a friend's house when I read it -- was babysitting and reading the book with a nine year old and we were laughing quite a bit. We didn't get through the whole book. According to another reviewer there are a few "digs at Jews" in here. Glad I missed that part somehow.
Perhaps I will read it again soon and write a much better review.
Perhaps I will read it again soon and write a much better review.
April 7, 2019
Very surreal and very Australian. Probably too much so for my kids. Will leave it in reasonably prime bookshelf real estate, though, just in case one of them picks it up.
November 21, 2016
What happens when you have a sailor, a penguin, a well-dressed koala and a bad-tempered pudding all on an adventure? The nonsensical and very funny Magic Pudding that's what! Hailed by Philip Pullman as one of his all-time favourite children's book (certainly the funniest), the book was written and drawn while Lindsay was mourning the death of his brother. The book though, with wonderful pencil illustrations, is full of life and great humour and with a plethora of catchy poems to boot. Additionally, I admired Lindsay's use of extended and challenging vocabulary.
May 14, 2022
This was so delightfully fun. While it's very much Wonderland-logic inspired, I find nothing wrong with that, and since it's set in Australia, we get Australian animals as our characters, which... really what more could I ask for in a book? It did get quite repetitive by the Fourth Slice, and I found the amount of poem-songs to be grating at that point, but overall something I would definitely reread when I want something cute and a little less mind bending than Wonderland itself.
(Try to find the illustrated edition--which appears to only reliably be in ebook form at this time--there are a few instances in the beginning where they are directly referenced in the story and it can start out on a very awkward footing without their context.)
(Try to find the illustrated edition--which appears to only reliably be in ebook form at this time--there are a few instances in the beginning where they are directly referenced in the story and it can start out on a very awkward footing without their context.)
March 4, 2020
I found it hard to read all the strange poems and songs in this book. There were loads, and some of them were very long.
Overall, this book was slightly strange, but I thought it was very funny.
Bunyip Bluegum the koala is tired of having to live in his tiny tree-house with his uncle and his uncle's enormous whiskers, so he decides to go travelling. He meets Sam the penguin and Bill the human. They are pudding owners and invite Bunyip to become a pudding owner as well. Together they stop two pudding thieves from stealing their pudding.
Overall, this book was slightly strange, but I thought it was very funny.
Bunyip Bluegum the koala is tired of having to live in his tiny tree-house with his uncle and his uncle's enormous whiskers, so he decides to go travelling. He meets Sam the penguin and Bill the human. They are pudding owners and invite Bunyip to become a pudding owner as well. Together they stop two pudding thieves from stealing their pudding.
April 20, 2022
Very enjoyable story about a pudding named Albert.
March 10, 2019
This kids' classic is a bit like an Aussie version of The Wind in the Willows, and it's my choice for the Africa, Asia or Oceania section of the 2019 Back to the Classics Challenge. It was published in 1918, the year of my grandmother's birth. Bunyip Bluegum is a fashionable young koala who sets out to be a gentleman of leisure, until he gets too hungry. He befriends Barnacle Bill the sailor, and Sam Sawnoff the penguin, who own a magnificent pudding named Albert, with the ability to replenish himself so they need never go hungry again.
Albert is a 'cut and come again' pudding, who enjoys offering slices of himself to everyone. For a change of flavour, you whistle twice and turn his basin around. I read one reviewer's complaint that you only ever seem to get steak and kidney, jam roly-poly, apple dumpling or plum duff. My instant thought was, 'Heck, what does she expect from a pudding?' That lady strikes me as a reader with no sense of wonder. He sounds pretty super-duper and worth the fuss to me.
The nefarious pudding thieves, Possum and Wombat agree, and concoct all sorts of sneaky mischief to steal Albert. Then the trio has to be just as crafty in getting him back again. There's a lot of punching and name calling, which probably delighted the good little children of early last century.
Talking about the target audience, it has some very mature concepts and expressions for a kids' book. For example, the wordy Bunyip Bluegum defends the truthfulness of his poetry with this line. 'The exigencies of rhyme may stand excused from a too strict insistence on verisimilitude, so that the general gaiety is thereby promoted.' Wow, I think several adults would have trouble getting their heads around that one, let alone middle school students. I'd love to think 9 to 12 year-olds would be willing to nut it out with their dictionaries, but do you think it's likely from our 21st century bunch? Are books like The Magic Pudding handy tools to stretch our kids' minds, or just relics from the past still being foisted on a generation no longer in the same head space? We'd never find such tricky sentences in modern stories for the same age group, but I wish a few would slip through, just to see how it would go over.
I think some of the low-key attitude take-aways were the coolest feature of this story.
Bill is easily brought to the brink of despair several times, which makes it harder for his mind to latch onto problem solving solutions. But Bunyip's more optimistic nature makes him a more pro-active thinker, and he often saves the day. It's interesting to see an author from as far back as Norman Lindsay suggest to young readers that choosing our moods may help us switch on or off our creativity.
Albert is a cranky pudding with a sassy mouth, but the friends are willing to cop a bit of guff from him, considering the benefits he provides. He's my favourite character. I love his wise little wrinkled face. He strikes me as a chap who knows full well that people are just using him for what they can get. Even when the pudding owners consider that they've 'saved his life', it's all a matter of indifference to him. He seems just as content with Possum and Wombat, who are after all doing just what the trio of heroes do, which is eating him.
It's such a silly tale, but Norman Lindsay's illustrations, fantastic verse, and emphasis on the chilled, laid-back aspects of Australian life give it its special edge. There's plenty of relaxing over pudding slices and billy tea. 'If you don't sit by a campfire in the evening, you have to sit by nothing in the dark, which is a most unsociable way of spending your time.' Then morning turns out to have its own unique charm. 'It's the best part of the day, because the world has had his face washed, and the air smells like Pears soap.'
The little band's chosen lifestyle is wandering along roads, indulging in conversation, song and story. And their happy ending is removing to a secluded spot and settling down to a life of gaiety, dance and song. Sounds pretty good to me.
The ending is odd by today's standards. The cast give no indication all through the story that they know they are fictional characters, but then Norman Lindsay has his main duo finish this way. (Totally in character for both of them, I might add.)
Bill: Here we are close to the end of the book, and something will have to be done in a tremendous hurry or else we'll be cut off short by the cover.
Bunyip: The solution is perfectly simple. We have merely to stop wandering along the road, and the story will stop wandering through the book.
What do you think? Touch of brilliance or verging in the realm of too cute? Every reader will have to make up their own mind. I can honestly see both sides.
Albert is a 'cut and come again' pudding, who enjoys offering slices of himself to everyone. For a change of flavour, you whistle twice and turn his basin around. I read one reviewer's complaint that you only ever seem to get steak and kidney, jam roly-poly, apple dumpling or plum duff. My instant thought was, 'Heck, what does she expect from a pudding?' That lady strikes me as a reader with no sense of wonder. He sounds pretty super-duper and worth the fuss to me.
The nefarious pudding thieves, Possum and Wombat agree, and concoct all sorts of sneaky mischief to steal Albert. Then the trio has to be just as crafty in getting him back again. There's a lot of punching and name calling, which probably delighted the good little children of early last century.
Talking about the target audience, it has some very mature concepts and expressions for a kids' book. For example, the wordy Bunyip Bluegum defends the truthfulness of his poetry with this line. 'The exigencies of rhyme may stand excused from a too strict insistence on verisimilitude, so that the general gaiety is thereby promoted.' Wow, I think several adults would have trouble getting their heads around that one, let alone middle school students. I'd love to think 9 to 12 year-olds would be willing to nut it out with their dictionaries, but do you think it's likely from our 21st century bunch? Are books like The Magic Pudding handy tools to stretch our kids' minds, or just relics from the past still being foisted on a generation no longer in the same head space? We'd never find such tricky sentences in modern stories for the same age group, but I wish a few would slip through, just to see how it would go over.
I think some of the low-key attitude take-aways were the coolest feature of this story.
Bill is easily brought to the brink of despair several times, which makes it harder for his mind to latch onto problem solving solutions. But Bunyip's more optimistic nature makes him a more pro-active thinker, and he often saves the day. It's interesting to see an author from as far back as Norman Lindsay suggest to young readers that choosing our moods may help us switch on or off our creativity.
Albert is a cranky pudding with a sassy mouth, but the friends are willing to cop a bit of guff from him, considering the benefits he provides. He's my favourite character. I love his wise little wrinkled face. He strikes me as a chap who knows full well that people are just using him for what they can get. Even when the pudding owners consider that they've 'saved his life', it's all a matter of indifference to him. He seems just as content with Possum and Wombat, who are after all doing just what the trio of heroes do, which is eating him.
It's such a silly tale, but Norman Lindsay's illustrations, fantastic verse, and emphasis on the chilled, laid-back aspects of Australian life give it its special edge. There's plenty of relaxing over pudding slices and billy tea. 'If you don't sit by a campfire in the evening, you have to sit by nothing in the dark, which is a most unsociable way of spending your time.' Then morning turns out to have its own unique charm. 'It's the best part of the day, because the world has had his face washed, and the air smells like Pears soap.'
The little band's chosen lifestyle is wandering along roads, indulging in conversation, song and story. And their happy ending is removing to a secluded spot and settling down to a life of gaiety, dance and song. Sounds pretty good to me.
The ending is odd by today's standards. The cast give no indication all through the story that they know they are fictional characters, but then Norman Lindsay has his main duo finish this way. (Totally in character for both of them, I might add.)
Bill: Here we are close to the end of the book, and something will have to be done in a tremendous hurry or else we'll be cut off short by the cover.
Bunyip: The solution is perfectly simple. We have merely to stop wandering along the road, and the story will stop wandering through the book.
What do you think? Touch of brilliance or verging in the realm of too cute? Every reader will have to make up their own mind. I can honestly see both sides.
September 21, 2018
Ok yes, the premise of this book is really bizarre, but it is a great book. I remember reading this book and absolutely loving it as a kid.
Synopsis taken from The Children's Book Review August 2008 (
The Magic Pudding is a pie, except when it's something else, like a steak, or a jam donut, or an apple dumpling, or whatever its owner wants it to be. And it never runs out. No matter how many slices you cut, there's always something left over. It's magic.
But the Magic Pudding is also alive. It walks and it talks and it's got a personality like no other. A meaner, sulkier, snider, snarlinger Pudding you've never met.
So Bunyip Bluegum (the koala bear) finds out when he joins Barnacle Bill (the sailor) and Sam Sawnoff (the penguin bold) as members of the Noble Society of Pudding Owners, whose "members are required to wander along the roads, indulgin' in conversation, song and story, and eatin' at regular intervals from the Pudding." Wild and woolly, funny and outrageously fun, The Magic Pudding stands somewhere between Alice in Wonderland and The Stinky Cheese Man as one of the craziest books ever written for young readers.
Synopsis taken from The Children's Book Review August 2008 (
The Magic Pudding is a pie, except when it's something else, like a steak, or a jam donut, or an apple dumpling, or whatever its owner wants it to be. And it never runs out. No matter how many slices you cut, there's always something left over. It's magic.
But the Magic Pudding is also alive. It walks and it talks and it's got a personality like no other. A meaner, sulkier, snider, snarlinger Pudding you've never met.
So Bunyip Bluegum (the koala bear) finds out when he joins Barnacle Bill (the sailor) and Sam Sawnoff (the penguin bold) as members of the Noble Society of Pudding Owners, whose "members are required to wander along the roads, indulgin' in conversation, song and story, and eatin' at regular intervals from the Pudding." Wild and woolly, funny and outrageously fun, The Magic Pudding stands somewhere between Alice in Wonderland and The Stinky Cheese Man as one of the craziest books ever written for young readers.
October 12, 2011
I love this book. It was my favourite when I was a kid and it is still my favourite kid's book. I didn't know it was Australian when I was six or whenever it was I first read it, although the animals were all Australian and it was set in Australia. I didn't locate it anywhere geographically. It was book. The rules are different ;-) Books happen in Bookspace'. But now, I have to mentally transpose the dialogue into an Aussie accent, which is fun, and gives such bits of dialogue as "I'll take and bounce a gibber off yer crust!" a reason for being so exotic sounding. I find Bunyip Bluegum's restraint and verbose pomposity ( in a nice way ) so English that he has to have an English accent. Sorry. The drawings are superb. The malevolent pudding, the self important windbag of a rooster, the devious Puddin' Thieves, the bandicoot, ( "Take me melon, but spare me life!" ), Great Uncle Wattleberry bounding and plunging, ah. . . a brilliant artist enjoying himself! He dismissed his book as "Just a bit of piffle" which is disingenuous to put it mildly. Sorry mate, but it was the best thing you ever did. You disagree? Well be careful, don't speak too loud or I might just take and bounce a gibber off yer crust.
February 10, 2018
I agree with whoever it was who declared this to be the funniest children's book ever written. But, as you'd expect from Norman Lindsay, it's certainly not a book just for kids. Lindsay was a brilliant visual artist, a member of the "heroic vitalist" movement that shocked the Christian and conformist Australia of his day - and also a profound writer of adult literature. All of this shines through in a work that is perfect for children but has other dimensions that adults can enjoy.
I was first introduced to 'The Magic Pudding' by a girlfriend when I was 16. I later read it to my own children, causing tear-wrenching mirth all around. They demanded re-readings so often that I eventually bought a tape of it read by professional actors, which the kids listened to with glee over and over again.
Yes, it depicts an older Australia - in many respects a better one - but it is by no means beyond the imaginative reach of an intelligent child of any Anglo society today. In fact, the slight distance in time and culture might even give it the special allure of something that isn't quite of the here-and-now, and yet isn't too much of an imaginative wrench.
I was first introduced to 'The Magic Pudding' by a girlfriend when I was 16. I later read it to my own children, causing tear-wrenching mirth all around. They demanded re-readings so often that I eventually bought a tape of it read by professional actors, which the kids listened to with glee over and over again.
Yes, it depicts an older Australia - in many respects a better one - but it is by no means beyond the imaginative reach of an intelligent child of any Anglo society today. In fact, the slight distance in time and culture might even give it the special allure of something that isn't quite of the here-and-now, and yet isn't too much of an imaginative wrench.
April 14, 2012
A children’s book, written in 1918. Bunyip, a koala, runs away from home because he can’t stand his Uncle’s whiskers, and meets a sailor and a penguin who own a magic pudding. The puddin� is an irritable fellow, always insulting them, and is contemptuous of how little they eat of it. (It magically replenishes; also, it can be any kind of puddin� or pie.) But there are a couple of dangerous puddin� thieves about with a flair for disguise, and despite the trio’s watchfulness, the puddin� is always being stolen.
It’s a hilarious, demented fantasy, with lots of eating and singing and fighting. Its tone and humor are so evocative of Pogo that I would be surprised if Walt Kelly hadn’t read it; indeed, perhaps it’s best described as a cross between and Pogo. Hugely enjoyable, delightfully funny, with perfect illustrations.
It’s a hilarious, demented fantasy, with lots of eating and singing and fighting. Its tone and humor are so evocative of Pogo that I would be surprised if Walt Kelly hadn’t read it; indeed, perhaps it’s best described as a cross between and Pogo. Hugely enjoyable, delightfully funny, with perfect illustrations.
October 14, 2017
Distinctly remember reading this for the first time. I would have been in grade two, and I received it as a gift from my parents.
It was my sister's birthday, I think. Either way, there was a bunch of people at our house having loud fun and I snuck into the lounge-room in my much loved, filthy, purple dress. I curled up in one corner of the lounge and basically spent most of the day reading. This story just drew me in and it was the perfect literary challenge for me at that time. There were some difficult words but the story was so captivating and bizarre. The pudding itself was so crazy! And grumpy, if I remember correctly!
An absolute classic, and an underrated gem of Australian literature.
It was my sister's birthday, I think. Either way, there was a bunch of people at our house having loud fun and I snuck into the lounge-room in my much loved, filthy, purple dress. I curled up in one corner of the lounge and basically spent most of the day reading. This story just drew me in and it was the perfect literary challenge for me at that time. There were some difficult words but the story was so captivating and bizarre. The pudding itself was so crazy! And grumpy, if I remember correctly!
An absolute classic, and an underrated gem of Australian literature.
December 20, 2014
I saw this at the Grolier Club's current exhibition of 100 Great Books in Children's Literature. Hmm. I bet they fought over whether to include it, and that it sneaked in at 98 or 99. Wizard of Oz? Yes. Winnie The Pooh? Sure. Nancy Drew, Eloise and Madeline? Yes, yes yes. But the Magic Pudding?
That said, it's a very funny book with an engagingly old-fashioned turn of phrase and some charming illustrations, but great? Maybe if you're Australian.
That said, it's a very funny book with an engagingly old-fashioned turn of phrase and some charming illustrations, but great? Maybe if you're Australian.
August 30, 2020
THRILLED to inform u all this book holds up to multiple re-reads as a kid and as an adult and is nearly as hilarious now as it was the first time I read it.
February 20, 2019
A ridiculously funny and overdramatic bit of fun to read for all. I wish the book was longer but I adored that ending and all the adventures from beginning to end.
It reminded me a lot of the idea of Alice in Wonderland and Stuart Little. Though reading the latter THIS book is by far better.
It reminded me a lot of the idea of Alice in Wonderland and Stuart Little. Though reading the latter THIS book is by far better.
December 27, 2019
What the hell did I just read?!? This one was too weird even for me...and that is saying something. Thank goodness it was short...and I got to cross it off of my list of "101 Things to Read Before You Grow Up."
Read
September 8, 2017This book was funny and some characters were very interesting. A meal that never runs out!
April 16, 2019
Poor old Curry and Rice!
October 14, 2020
This is a children’s book but as it was written in 1918, it is not a book I would read out loud to a class. Lots of name calling and beating! Not so politically correct.
April 26, 2023
Felt like an Australian version of Lewis Carroll. Enjoyed bits of this and didn’t enjoy other bits
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