Book excerpt: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (Annotated and Illustrated) By L. Frank Baum With Introduction, Illustrations and Book Cover by Melanie Voland - More than 35 of our own black and white illustrations - Unique introduction Can you imagine a world without toys? or Christmas without Santa Claus? Read this classic, but less well-known children's story, by L. Frank Baum, who wrote 'The Wizard of Oz, ' of the life of Santa Claus, or give it as a charming, special, thoughtful Christmas gift. Find out how little Claus was found as an abandoned baby and adopted by the immortal beings of a magical forest; and how, because of the kindness that was shown to him as a child, he develops a wish and mission to bring happiness to all human children; as well as how he develops his abilities to do so, through the influence of the magical beings, and the children he meets; find out how Claus starts making toys, overcomes fierce enemies, gets people to help him, and ultimately achieves immortality himself. Makes a lovely, special, Christmassy bedtime story for younger kids, but some old-fashioned words and phrases may need to be explained during the reading.