Baum, L. (1987).The wonderful wizard of oz: 100th anniversary edition.Singapore:HarperCollinsPublishers.

A Must Read! You are always told not to judge a movie based on the book because the book is always better. Well my favorite movie of all time is The Wizard of Oz.  I have tons of useless knowledge saved in my head about it, so I decided I should read the fantasy story too. They are NOTHING ALIKE, and yet I loved them both. So excited about this great fantasy read I had this week!

The story begins with the main character, Dorothy. She lives on a small farm in Kansas with Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. When a cyclone hits, Dorothy and her dog, Toto, are carried away in their house to a strange land called Munchkin Land. They meet a good witch and tiny people called Munchkins greet them too. Dorothy's house has landed on the Wicked Witch of the East. It has killed the witch and made her a hero! Dorothy takes the Wicked Witch's charmed silver shoes, and the good witch gives her a protective kiss on her forehead so she can reach Oz safely. Dorothy hopes that the Wizard of Oz will be able to send her back to Kansas, so she sets off on the yellow brick road.

Soon, Dorothy and Toto meet the Scarecrow. He desperately wants a brain, so he accompanies them on their trip. Next, they meet the Tin Woodman, who tells his story of how he was once human and how he longs to have a beating heart. The last character they meet is a cowardly lion, who obviously by his names needs some courage, to act like he is king of the forest.

They next enter a land by the Kalidahs. These are huge animals that have the heads of tigers and bodies of bears! Definitely not in the movie. As the plot progress the four friends find themselves facing many new challenges. The Tin Woodsman kills a wildcat and saves the Queen of the Mice.

The next night they stay with a family that tells them that once they enter the Emerald City they will not get to talk with the Wizard. Dorothy decides they can’t take no for an answer and they go anyway. The Wizard does agree to meet with Dorothy but insist that before he can send her home she must kill the Wicked Witch of the West.

The witch knows they are coming and can watch them through her magic eye she sends out many different things to try and kill them. This part of the book is a bit gruesome. Color once again helps create a vivid picture. We learn for the first time that the land of the Winkies is yellow and that the Winkies dress in yellow from head to foot. Dorothy is immediately able to see the good that has come from the Wicked Witch's death. The little girl is able to tell the Winkies they are now free. When Dorothy finds the Golden Cap, Baum gives us more foreshadowing.

The golden cap plays as a big prop in the story. At the end, Baum repeats his theme yet again that there is really NO PLACE LIKE HOME. Another theme of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is self-sufficiency. The Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion all are looking for magic to give them qualities they already possess but fail to recognize.  Baum wrote descriptive passages into his text, which bring the fictitious world of Oz alive in the imagination of the reader. Descriptions of landscapes are appealing to children, who will enjoy getting lost in this fantasy story. In chapter two, Dorothy and her house land among the Munchkins. Baum describes the land so vividly when he wrote “Banks of gorgeous flowers were on every hand, and birds with rare brilliant plumage sand and fluttered in the trees and bushes.”