The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a classic children's book. It was written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow. It is about a young orphaned girl named Dorothy who lived with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. She is swept up in a cyclone storm in Kansas City and lands in the Land of the Munchkins, the Land of Oz. There she is met by the Good Witch of the North, Glinda. Glinda gives her the silver shoes that belonged to the Wicked Witch's sister. She tells her to wear these shoes and go find the Wizard of Oz. She will find him by following the yellow brick road. On her way, Dorothy meets a Scarecrow who is in search of a brain, a Tin Man who is in search of a heart and a Cowardly Lion who is in search of courage. They encounter obstacles on their way but they overcome them and eventually arrive at the Emerald City. There, they each speak to the Wizard of Oz but they all see him differently. The Wicked Witch tries to interfere and capture Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion but Dorothy throws a bucket of water on her and she melts. The Wizard of Oz then tries to help Dorothy get home but first Toto reveals that the Wizard is actually an old man who had once visited Dorothy's home before. When they are all on his hot air balloon, Toto sees a kitten and runs towards it. Dorothy followed him and they missed the balloon. Glinda tells Dorothy she has always had the power to get home all she has to do is click her heals together.
This book is a perfect example of a Modern Fantasy book. There are mythical creatures and talking animals. The book is also set in a magical fantasy land; the Land of the Munchkins/The Land of Oz/Emerald City. Dorothy travels to the Emerald City with "protective figures": the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. They help her overcome obstacles and make it safely to Emerald City. There is a good versus evil plot in the story, the Wicked Witch of the West being the evil character and The Good Witch of the North, Glinda, Dorothy and her friends being the good characters. Another trait of Modern Fantasy books is that the character returns safely home which Dorothy does in the end.
I think this book is a great example of Modern Fantasy in children's literature. This classic story has stood the test of time and I think it will continue to do so. I think one of the underlying messages of this book is that good always trumps evil. I really enjoyed reading this book again because it was one of my childhood favorites! I would definitely recommend it to others and will read it to my future children and students.
Baum, Frank L. (author) W.W. Denslow (illustrator) . The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Chicago, IL: George M. Hill Co. , 1900.
I think in class you said you read a variation of this classic book - one that had been cut down into a short picture book for children. I was looking for a discussion on what happens when a book is adapted this way. Which version did you read? Who was the illustrator? I was looking for a full citation to the book that you read.
ReplyDeleteHi! I guess I wasn't clear I meant I had just condensed that book down for this post. I meant that I didn't re-read the entire thing but I thought this book was perfect for a blog about modern fantasy so I wanted to still write about it! I guess I thought I could just use the story since it is considered a children's book but I did use the long version which my mom used to read to my sister and I when we were little! I will just do the correct citations for this one but read another short children's modern fantasy book to replace this one! sorry!
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