Norman Lindsay (1879–1969)

Zany. A pudding that everyone wants to steal. You better not take your eyes off that pudding for one second. Even people you trust will do anything to get their hands on that pudding. A delight that was completely unknown to me before two weeks ago. A delight that I loved, despite the fact that I really wasn’t clear on the appeal of the pudding or the knavish associations of many of the characters. It isn’t important; it’s just great fun.

Utterly delightful. I fell in love with Bunyip Bluegum, Bill Barnacle, Sam Sawnoff, and yes, even the rude, irascible Puddin'. The illustrations convey so much expression and humor, and the clever text and ridiculous plot had me chuckling. Highly recommended for fans of Lewis Carroll and the like.

"The plain truth was that Bunyip and his Uncle lived in a small house in a tree, and there was no room for the whiskers. What was worse, the whiskers were red, and they blew about in the wind, and Uncle Wattleberry would insist on bringing them to the dinner table with him, where they got in the soup. His Uncle refused to listen to reason on the subject of his whiskers. It was quite useless giving him hints, such as presents of razors, and scissors, and boxes of matches to burn them show more off."

This is a delightful book reminiscent of Lewis Carroll. It doesn't have the brilliance and perfect light touch of Carroll, but it's a fine, tasty morsel, nonetheless. It follows the adventures of three respectable puddin' owners who are beset by a pair of low puddin' thieves. Fortunately, the thieves are caught repeatedly by our heroes, and their snouts are properly punched and bent as punishment.

Please note that the pudding is not a custard pudding, like Americans are used to, but rather a steak and kidney pudding. It's not false advertising, it's Australian. show less

One of the most completely enjoyable books of my childhood, written and illustrated by Norman Lindsay, whose primary career was as an Australian political cartoonist. Bunyip Bluegum is a spiffily dressed gentleman koala who goes out walking and falls in with Sam Sawnoff, a sailor, and Bill Barnacle, a penguin, who by dubious means (set out in one of the many lively poems which add a great deal to the fun of the narrative) had gained possession of a magic "cut and come again" pudding -- a show more pudding which can turn into any desired dish, and regrows after eating, and what is more, possesses an acerbic personality of its own. Naturally, it is pursued by pudding thieves, against whom the heroes must defend themselves, thieves eventually brought to trial in a fine parody of traditional British-style justice. show less