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A review by happylilkt
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
4.0
I believe one of my first author binges was L. Frank Baum—and what a binge. I was probably 7 or 8 years old and didn't realize that the scores of Oz books were not written by Baum himself. That being said, I had a discerning eye (don't all children?) and could tell they were not all of the same quality. Of course, of course, this one is the best and mostest wonderful.
The (Wonderful) Wizard of Oz is a cultural icon and fodder for all kinds of philosophical, political, social, and moral discussions. But, first it was a children's book. I read it first as a child and I read it to my 3 and 4 year olds this month and observed their own wonder at the fantastic adventures of Dorothy and her comrades (a cyclone! to my West Coast children it doesn't get much more exotic than a cyclone!). My children have yet to see the MGM masterpiece (another cultural icon), so items like silver shoes vs ruby slippers and Glinda not making an appearance until the end of the book did not phase them.
Naturally, they adored it. They didn't catch all of the humor, but it's a wonderful book to return to, and I know they will enjoy it again when they read for themselves. I highly recommend it as a read aloud chapter book for avid young "readers."
The (Wonderful) Wizard of Oz is a cultural icon and fodder for all kinds of philosophical, political, social, and moral discussions. But, first it was a children's book. I read it first as a child and I read it to my 3 and 4 year olds this month and observed their own wonder at the fantastic adventures of Dorothy and her comrades (a cyclone! to my West Coast children it doesn't get much more exotic than a cyclone!). My children have yet to see the MGM masterpiece (another cultural icon), so items like silver shoes vs ruby slippers and Glinda not making an appearance until the end of the book did not phase them.
Naturally, they adored it. They didn't catch all of the humor, but it's a wonderful book to return to, and I know they will enjoy it again when they read for themselves. I highly recommend it as a read aloud chapter book for avid young "readers."