The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
1899
- witches
- spanish language materials
- fiction
- wizards
- juvenile literature
- wizards in fiction
- children's stories, russian
- specimens
- imaginary voyages in fiction
- classic literature
The story
Over a century after its initial publication, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is still captivating the hearts of countless readers. Come adventure with Dorothy and her three friends: the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion, as they follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City for an audience with the Great Oz, the mightiest Wizard in the land, and the only one that can return Dorothy to her home in Kansas.
What it’s like
Brisk, bright and storybook-plain, with the sun-washed prairie of Kansas giving way to a country of painted colour: the cornfields and grey plains first, then poppy fields, a green-tinted Emerald City and a yellow road that glows underfoot. Baum's prose is unfussy and conversational, a narrator speaking directly to a child, so the sensory world arrives in short, clean sentences rather than lush description, and it moves quickly from episode to episode. The tone is warm, whimsical and gently comic, with a steady undercurrent of kindness: its companions are a scarecrow who wants a brain, a tin man who wants a heart, and a lion who wants courage, and their quests read as cosy and affectionate rather than anxious. Violence is minimal and bloodless; the wicked witch's danger is mostly threat and trickery, and no scene lingers on suffering. It suits a rainy afternoon, a bedtime read-aloud, or a comfort re-read for anyone who wants a gentle, optimistic journey with a little wonder in every chapter. It is written for children and for adults who still enjoy simple, sincere fairy-tale storytelling.
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