The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

[rcratty]

One way to encourage your children to read classics is to read them as a family. A wonderful classic to start with is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published on May 17, 1900, by the George M. Hill Company. The name was shortened to The Wizard of Oz, in both the popular 1902 Broadway musical and the 1939 film adaptation.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the adventures of Dorothy Gale in the Land of Oz. After young Dorothy is swept away from her Kansas farm home in a cyclone.
The novel is one of the best-known stories in American popular culture and has been widely translated. Its initial success, and the success of the 1902 Broadway musical which Baum adapted from his original story. The original book has been in the public domain in the US since 1956.
When Baum wrote The Wizard of Oz he did not plan on writing a sequel. However, after reading the novel, thousands of children wrote letters to him, requesting that he write another story about Oz.
In 1904, Baum wrote and published the first sequel, The Marvelous Land of Oz, explaining that he grudgingly wrote the sequel to address the popular demand. Then Baum continued writing sequels in 1907, 1908, and 1909. In his 1911 The Emerald City of Oz, he wrote that “he could not continue writing sequels because Ozland had lost contact with the rest of the world.”
Once again his readers, children, refused to accept this, so Baum, in 1913 and every year thereafter until his death in May 1919, wrote an Oz book, ultimately writing 13 sequels.
Baum explained the purpose of his novels in a note he penned to his sister, Mary Louise Brewster, in his first book- Mother Goose in Prose (1897). He wrote, "To please a child is a sweet and a lovely thing that warms one's heart and brings its own reward.”
After Baum's death in 1919, Baum's publishers delegated the creation of more sequels to Ruth Plumly Thompson who wrote 21. An original Oz book was published every Christmas between 1913 and 1942. By 1956, five million copies of the Oz books had been published in the English language, while hundreds of thousands had been published in eight foreign languages.

[Acwoolet]

I loved reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz while growing up. It wasn't until a few years ago that I discovered that there were more! Unfortunately my library doesn't have them, so I'm going to have to find a different way of getting ahold of them.

[shane_cloonan]

Fun fact: L. Frank Baum came up with "Oz" when he was looking at his file cabinet that said o-z.

[jcox27]

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a childhood classic. I loved reading it then and I continue to Adore it now. The Journey Young Dorthy goes though reminds me alot of children in General, As children we crave to leave home, Then when it happens all we want is to get back. We make friends who move up and on without us becoming who they were meant to be, but inside we are all Dorthy, just wanting to go home.

[Southernstarr011]

I love love love this book! The dialogue between characters is priceless! Baum touches the child in each of us by writing a story that old and young alike can identify with several major themes.

[LivreAmour217]

I love this book, as well as the movie adaptation! In high school, I was given the honor of playing Dorothy for our school's "Children's Theatre" program. I presently live in Kansas, too, although unlike Dorothy, I would have felt more inclined to remain in Oz!

[LovelyMonroe]

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was one of my favorites growing up. Honestly I think I have watched the movie every year of my life. I had no idea that 13 sequels have been written. I would love to read them. Thanks for the review.

[lmoses]

I really enjoyed this book and all the symbolism he was able to make with the situation of his time. From Dorthy's Silver shoes walking on the Yellow (Gold) brick road to the Tin Man representing industrialization/factory workers, his entire book is rooted in deep symbolism that many people did not realize. I also love the visuals Baum creates in the world of OZ. This is a great book that everyone should read!

[DivineDiva]

Oh my goodness! This was not only my favorite movie of all times, but also my favorite book of all times! If only our houses could fly and we could go to Munchkin Land and visit Glenda the good witch and have three awesome friends and a little dog to go walk a magical road to get to a great Wizard to grant us our wishes, wouldn't life be great. A must read! This should be in everyone's library!

[P_hernandez]

This is a terrific story. We just finished reading it again and the imagery is fantastic! This is a family favorite.

[barb429]

I love these books and used to read them over and over as a child. A few years Marvel has released graphic novel adaptations of them that are also great.

[P_hernandez]

All of the fan fiction surrounding this story is so exciting to read. I am a huge fan of the wicked series. I've never seen the production, but the books are great.

[ARaymer83]

This is the first novel I read to my two year old daughter and 15 month old twins. ? I remember seeing it on our shelf right after we brought our first daughter home, so I sat down and began reading it to her. I then did the same right after we brought our twins home. This story holds such a special place in both my husband and my hearts. This post brings tears to my eyes.

[ReadandRoll[]

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was one of my favorites growing up. Honestly I think I have watched the movie every year of my life. I had no idea that 13 sequels have been written. I would love to read them. Thanks for the review.

Check out Amazon for Oz: The Complete Collection + Free Bonuses- American Fairy Tales, Grimm's Fairy Tales, A Christmas Carol ...all for .99 cents!

[wikkedpixxie]

I grew up loving this book. My mother read it to me over and over again. I can relate to Dorthy on so many levels as I was raised by family other than my mother and would fantasize about running away going some place where I would fit in and find my happily ever after. Based on my love of the book I have watched the movie every year when it comes on tv and have sought out every television, movie, musical and play that I can find.