The book which preceded the classic The Wizard of Oz

The original kid’s book The Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum is a quick read, but a good one. With a lot more details than the movie, it is a more comprehensive tale. Everyone knows the gist of it: Dorothy rides a tornado from Kansas to the land of Oz. Her house falls on a wicked witch, making her instantly famous, and she sets out to meet the Wizard to get her back home. On the way, she meets up with Scarecrow, who needs a brain, the tin Woodsman, who is missing a heart, and a cowardly Lion, lacking courage. In their ensuing adventures, each is proved to all ready have what they thought they were lacking. The book does a much better job of showing these instances, mostly because just a lot more happens. But as nicely as it is written, it doesn’t quite have the magic of the beloved classic film. This is probably because those images are so ingrained in my mind. A good little read though, and fun to see more of the story fleshed out and to point out the changes (silver shoes instead of the ruby, which the filmmakers apparently thought looked better in technicolor!).