Summary
What could be better than a story about the unforgettable characters from the land of Oz? Six stories, of course! Featuring everyone's favorite friends--Dorothy, Toto, the Wizard, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman--these little tales contain the same Baum magic, with a few special surprises not revealed in the other Oz books.
Also included are adventures with Tiktok, the Clockwork Man; the always ravenous Hungry Tiger; the amazing Jack Pumpkinhead; the incredible wooden Sawhorse; and the magical princess Ozma of Oz.
Discover how Dorothy and Toto escape from under the power of the terrible giant, Crinklink, join wise Princess Ozma and the Wizard as they match wits with three mischievous Imps; follow the adventures of Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse as they brave a great, gloomy forest to save two lost children. Whether or not you have visited the enchanted land of Oz before, you will delight in these and three other fanciful and exciting tales.
For over ninety years L. Rank Baum's fairyland has stirred the imaginations of readers of all ages. Now, in this lavishly produced edition featuring all forty-five of John R. Neill's striking full-color illustrations, young readers and listeners will enjoy six little Oz adventures about the beloved folk who make Oz so fascinating and enduring.
Afterword by Peter Glassman. This deluxe collection of six short stories was written especially for beginning readers and features forty-five glowing full-color plates. Everyone will enjoy these irresistible adventures about the beloved characters who make the land of Oz so delightful and enduring. A Books of Wonder Classic.
Best known as the author of the Wizard of Oz series, Lyman Frank Baum was born on May 15, 1856, in New York. When Baum was a young man, his father, who had made a fortune in oil, gave him several theaters in New York and Pennsylvania to manage. Eventually, Baum had his first taste of success as a writer when he staged The Maid of Arran, a melodrama he had written and scored.
Married in 1882 to Maud Gage, whose mother was an influential suffragette, the two had four sons. Baum often entertained his children with nursery rhymes and in 1897 published a compilation titled Mother Goose in Prose, which was illustrated by Maxfield Parrish. The project was followed by three other picture books of rhymes, illustrated by William Wallace Denslow.
The success of the nursery rhymes persuaded Baum to craft a novel out of one of the stories, which he titled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Some critics have suggested that Baum modeled the character of the Wizard on himself. Other books for children followed the original Oz book, and Baum continued to produce the popular Oz books until his death in 1919. The series was so popular that after Baum's death and by special arrangement, Oz books continued to be written for the series by other authors. Glinda of Oz, the last Oz book that Baum wrote, was published in 1920.
(Bowker Author Biography)
