Official Review: Toto's Adventures with Dorothy

[PashaRu]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Toto's Adventures with Dorothy" by Dennis Sanchez.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Gathered around the television in our footie PJ’s, it was a tradition when I was a kid for us to watch the annual television broadcast of the 1939 MGM classic The Wizard of Oz. As many times as we saw it, there was no question that we would again eagerly sit in front of the TV, munch popcorn, and marvel at the munchkins, love the scarecrow, wonder at the winged monkeys, wish to heaven that we could walk that oh-so-Technicolor-yellow yellow brick road, and (at least for me) dart out of the room whenever the wicked witch appeared. Yeah, she scared the crap out of me, and I would, from around the corner, plead with my brother and sister to “tell me when she’s gone” so I could venture safely back into the living room without the fear of nightmares after our annual OzFest.

I was a strange kid.

Know the story? Of course you do. It’s an indelible slice of Americana that has been embraced and loved by generations of children the world over. Of course, The Wizard of Oz was an adaptation of the 1900 L. Frank Baum novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. There have been countless adaptations, allusions, references, reinterpretations, and sequels of both the original novel and the classic film.

Now another hat, belonging to author Dennis Sanchez, has been flung into the ring. Mr. Sanchez has written at least two other books described as “spoofs” of popular children’s tales, and this one, Toto’s Adventures with Dorothy: In Toto’s Own Words, is a retelling of the tale in first person by, you guessed it, the spunky and resourceful Toto himself. Published in 2011, it is available in both paperback and e-format.

At first glance it seems that giving a synopsis of the story would be superfluous and insulting; it might be akin to explaining the particular viands that Sam I Am won’t eat, the specific communication skill set of Dr. Doolittle, or what Willy Wonka makes in that darned spooky factory of his. After all, the story is a brightly colored, prominent square in the the quilt of 20th-century pop culture. C’mon, you’ve sung “Over the Rainbow” more times than you can shake a witch’s wand at. The story we all know from the film is there and easily recognizable; however, this book is more of a retelling of the novel, not the film, hence is a version with which fewer people, no doubt, are familiar.

I won’t go into all of the differences between the classic novel and film, but in Mr. Sanchez’s parody you’ll meet denizens and precincts of Oz which are not in the film: wolves, crows, bees, Kalidahs, Quadlings, Buttheads, and a land of porcelain where Dorothy unapologetically steals some of the tiny porcelain residents who are destined to freeze and never move again if removed from their ceramic macrocosm. The scenes transition quickly and there is nary a dull moment.

The familiar themes and tropes, however, remain: witches, munchkins, flying monkeys, a yellow brick road leading to the Emerald City, thoughts of home. Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Lion are introduced early, are ever present thereafter, and we are reminded on almost every page (a bit too often, in fact) of their respective deficiencies in the brain, heart, and courage departments. There are some contradictions of character – glimpses of which are also present in the film – in which each one actually has the quality he thinks he lacks. Each makes noteworthy contributions to facilitate the foursome’s successful sojourn through the strange and sometimes dangerous Land of Oz. The Wizard finally “granting” them such qualities is only symbolic (and a blatant deception) and serves simply as a placebo, a confidence booster. (Whether there is a lesson in this for children is up to the reader to decide.) But the smile factor here is less than in the film; I didn’t feel a sense of success or satisfaction when these gullible characters finally received that which supposedly made them complete.

Sanchez’s Dorothy is Judy Garland in a slightly bad mood. She is not altogether the sweet, rosy-cheeked, kind-hearted-singing-about-rainbows girl of the film who learns a lesson about what home really means, but rather a somewhat selfish, airheaded, self-centered quasi-brat who is less concerned about others than one would wish. She isn't unlikable, but didn't endear herself to me with the sweet little-girl-lost innocence of the film version. She does away with several inhabitants of Oz without a hint of remorse other than worrying about who is going to clean up the mess. And I’m not sure the Dorothy of page 336 is much different from the page 1 version; it doesn’t end quite the way the film does. In fact, while character portrayal is handled adequately, you’ll have to stretch your imagination to see much character development in the story.

Mr. Sanchez plays with certain well-known mantras from the film such as “There’s no place like home” and “We’re off to see the wizard…because because because…things he does.” These and others are playful references to the film, and often they are alluded to without being directly quoted, or quoted imperfectly; a respectful wink is made to the reader to fill in the gaps and get the joke. The dialogue is replete with corny puns and plays on words (think the humor of Mel Brooks). One instance of an Abbott-and-Costello-esque back-and-forth between Dorothy and The Wizard (reminiscent of “Who’s on first?”) is quite clever and made me laugh, and it even contains a nod to the closing scene of Casablanca.

That which sets this incarnation of the familiar story apart is, ostensibly, the first-person perspective of Toto. He is the storyteller/narrator. Toto is portrayed as a smart and resourceful mutt who rarely gets credit for being the first one to have a good idea. Different dangers and nasties threaten the four principals, and Toto usually thinks up a way out of the predicament immediately. He often barks it out, but as none of the other characters speak dog, he must resort to other means to drop hints to his compadres. They eventually come up with the same ideas but don’t realize that it was Toto that planted the thoughts in their heads in the first place. Toto's perspective, while interesting and unique, doesn’t seem to me to be enough to make the story worth retelling. The change in POV doesn’t change the story a great deal, nor does it seem to add much that wasn’t already there.

My epub comes in at 336 pages, but the story manages to move along at a nice pace. Little space is wasted on excessive description, and before a scene can become tedious, the narrative has refreshingly moved on to something else. The Land of Oz contains strange and interesting characters and places, but this is not a description- or character-driven story. Events and episodes happen in fairly rapid succession, and the book feels shorter than it is. My epub contains no illustrations.

The writing is simple, fun, corny, not uber-imaginative, but light and easy to read. It adequately tells the story, drawing a modicum of attention to itself, but doesn’t get in the way. There are a few typographical errors and errors in punctuation, but these are infrequent and do not affect the overall readability of the book. This story can be enjoyed by children and adults alike; the length and reading level is appropriate for children aged about 10 and up.

Toto’s Adventures with Dorothy: In Toto’s Own Words is a fun retelling of a familiar story. But the change in perspective does not bring much to the table that wasn’t already there. The humor is frequent, unsubtle and uncomplicated, and the writing is good but not stellar. Mr. Sanchez had a classic, popular story to work with, so it’s certainly not a miss, but not quite a bullseye either. I am happy to award this book 3 out of 4 stars.

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Toto's Adventures with Dorothy
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Like PashaRu's review? Post a comment saying so!

[gali]

Thank you for the lovely review. I am glad you enjoyed the book.

[PashaRu]

Thank you for the lovely review. I am glad you enjoyed the book.

Thanks, gali! It was a fun, easy read.

[bookowlie]

Thanks for another insightful, well-written review. I like your comment that none of the other characters "speak dog"!

[PashaRu]

Thanks for another insightful, well-written review. I like your comment that none of the other characters "speak dog"!

Thank you! Poor Toto, he struggles with not being able to communicate with the others!

[CCtheBrave]

i really liked the beginning of your review, you did a great job grabbing my attention. nicely done!

[bookowlie]

Thanks for another insightful, well-written review. I like your comment that none of the other characters "speak dog"!

Thank you! Poor Toto, he struggles with not being able to communicate with the others!

My dog finds ways to communicate, especially when food is involved.

[PashaRu]

i really liked the beginning of your review, you did a great job grabbing my attention. nicely done!

Thank you! Yeah, I guess I was a chicken!

[LivreAmour217]

I really enjoyed reading this review! Like you, I remember gathering around the TV for the annual viewing of this classic tale, and I am also a big fan of the book. I will have to add this latest adaptation to my reading list!

[PashaRu]

I really enjoyed reading this review! Like you, I remember gathering around the TV for the annual viewing of this classic tale, and I am also a big fan of the book. I will have to add this latest adaptation to my reading list!

Thank you! I hope you enjoy it. And you live in Kansas!!!

My dog finds ways to communicate, especially when food is involved.

Where there's a will, there's a way, eh? Eating, sleeping, and making more dogs seem to be uppermost in their minds. I guess they're really not that different from us. If only they had a larger cerebral cortex....

<- looks a little like Toto

[bluemel4]

Fantastic review! It was insightful and interesting. I liked your addition of your personal connection to the original Wizard of Oz movie and book.

[PashaRu]

Fantastic review! It was insightful and interesting. I liked your addition of your personal connection to the original Wizard of Oz movie and book.

Thank you!

[bookowlie]

I really enjoyed reading this review! Like you, I remember gathering around the TV for the annual viewing of this classic tale, and I am also a big fan of the book. I will have to add this latest adaptation to my reading list!

Thank you! I hope you enjoy it. And you live in Kansas!!!

My dog finds ways to communicate, especially when food is involved.

Where there's a will, there's a way, eh? Eating, sleeping, and making more dogs seem to be uppermost in their minds. I guess they're really not that different from us. If only they had a larger cerebral cortex....

<- looks a little like Toto

By the way, I also used to run out of the room when the witch was on. One time my brother told me the witch scene was over (when it wasn't!) so I returned to the living room. Very traumatic for me, but he got a good laugh out of it.

[PashaRu]

By the way, I also used to run out of the room when the witch was on. One time my brother told me the witch scene was over (when it wasn't!) so I returned to the living room. Very traumatic for me, but he got a good laugh out of it.

I wonder what scars we still carry at having inadvertently caught glimpses of that wicked ole' witch?

[bookowlie]

I still don't like to watch that scene.