magicpudding1918

The Magic Pudding: The Adventures of Bunyip Bluegum is a 1918 Australian children's book written and illustrated by Norman Lindsay. It is a comic fantasy, and a classic of Australian children's literature.

The story is set in Australia with humans mixing with anthropomorphic animals. It tells of a magic talking pudding named Albert which, no matter how often he is eaten, always reforms in order to be eaten again. He is owned by three companions who must defend him against Pudding Thieves who want it for themselves.

The book is divided into four "slices" instead of chapters. There are many short songs interspersed throughout the text, varying from stories told in rhyme to descriptions of a character's mood or behaviour, and verses of an ongoing sea song.

The Magic Pudding is said to have been written to settle an argument: Lindsay's friend Bertram Stevens said that children like to read about fairies, while Lindsay asserted that they would rather read about food and fighting.