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janeofalltrades's review against another edition
4.0
Delightful. After reading many fairy tales, folklore and the like, Frank L. Baum managed to put an interesting spin on the genre.
Minus one star for the antiquated view of other cultures.
Minus one star for the antiquated view of other cultures.
He settled in a city of the middle west and of course started a laundry, since that seems to be the natural vocation of every Chinaman, be he coolie or mandarin.
shashank_srivastava's review against another edition
5.0
Quite different from most such books. A different experience reading this one. Loved it 😊
katiecatbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Racist. Nonsensical. No morals.
Story: This is a collection of short stories. Not fairy tales. While many have magic or fantasy characteristics, that's about all they have in common with fairy tales.
Language: This book is filled with racist stereotypes and illustrations. The grammar in most of the dialogue is horrid. Many of the themes or stories are inappropriate for children, yet too childish for adults.
Characters: Most of the stories feature small children, but also included are a Chinaman, a polar bear, a storeroom dummy, and so on.
The only story I liked was "the king of the polar bears." I recommend you skip this book!
Story: This is a collection of short stories. Not fairy tales. While many have magic or fantasy characteristics, that's about all they have in common with fairy tales.
Language: This book is filled with racist stereotypes and illustrations. The grammar in most of the dialogue is horrid. Many of the themes or stories are inappropriate for children, yet too childish for adults.
Characters: Most of the stories feature small children, but also included are a Chinaman, a polar bear, a storeroom dummy, and so on.
The only story I liked was "the king of the polar bears." I recommend you skip this book!
lynn_k's review against another edition
4.0
An amusing group of tales with a moral attached. Filled with Baum’s usual sassiness and snark. Very enjoyable.
jdhobbes's review against another edition
4.0
This is a cute collection of short fantasy stories, some of which have nice morals, and some of which are just entertaining. Baum's writing style is light and amusing.
One word of caution: there are some leftover racial and ethnic stereotypes which may be offensive to people who are sensitive to those things, so I would recommend parents read these stories before giving them to their children.
Overall, however, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
One word of caution: there are some leftover racial and ethnic stereotypes which may be offensive to people who are sensitive to those things, so I would recommend parents read these stories before giving them to their children.
Overall, however, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
janie_books's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
shadowfelle's review against another edition
2.0
This has some value as a look at American literature, but it has not aged well. Racism ahoy.
thebookaneer's review against another edition
4.0
This is a really charming set of tales. L. Frank Baum, of course, wrote The Wizard of Oz, and he takes his odd humor, and wondrous ideas and creates a set of fairy tales.
You meet a girl who discovers a box of robbers in her attic, a boy who captures Father Time, the King of the Polar Bears who looses his fur coat, a wax dummy who comes to life, townspeople who accidentally eat magic bon-bons that make them sing and dance, a plummer who is in love with a princess, and many more quirky characters. My favorite tale was "The Girl Who Owned a Bear," the story of a little girl who's father had ruined a book agent's business, so the book agent decides to give the daughter a book of horrible beasts that step off the page. But she is clever and thwarts him in the end.
Each of these stories has a lesson, or a moral, like "This story teaches us that true dignity and courage depend not upon outward appearance, but come rather from within; also that brag and bluster are poor weapons to carry into battle."
My favorite moral, however, is "As for the glass dog, the wizard set him barking again by means of his wizardness and put him outside his door. I suppose he is there yet, and am rather sorry, for I should like to consult the wizard about the moral to this story."
You meet a girl who discovers a box of robbers in her attic, a boy who captures Father Time, the King of the Polar Bears who looses his fur coat, a wax dummy who comes to life, townspeople who accidentally eat magic bon-bons that make them sing and dance, a plummer who is in love with a princess, and many more quirky characters. My favorite tale was "The Girl Who Owned a Bear," the story of a little girl who's father had ruined a book agent's business, so the book agent decides to give the daughter a book of horrible beasts that step off the page. But she is clever and thwarts him in the end.
Each of these stories has a lesson, or a moral, like "This story teaches us that true dignity and courage depend not upon outward appearance, but come rather from within; also that brag and bluster are poor weapons to carry into battle."
My favorite moral, however, is "As for the glass dog, the wizard set him barking again by means of his wizardness and put him outside his door. I suppose he is there yet, and am rather sorry, for I should like to consult the wizard about the moral to this story."