At one point in Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz (the fourth book in L. Frank Baum's original 14-volume series), the Wizard uses daggers to make a sword and then fights giant invisible bears. Later in the book, he kills the king of the Mangaboos by slicing him in half—which isn't nearly as gory as it sounds because the Mangaboos are a race of vegetable people with insides like turnips.
These aren't your typical fantasy stories for young readers. Even the tamed movie version starring Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale (though she was much too old for the part) has left countless viewers with lifetime nightmares and complexes thanks to the flying monkeys and the green guys with halberds, and the movie is considerably less bizarre than any one of the books.
Which is one of the many reasons these books are awesome. Before you jump to conclusions, Dear Reader, we are not in favor of damaging children psychologically by giving them disturbing reading material. But we'd also argue that the Oz books aren't particularly likely to damage anyone, at least no more than many other classic children's books.
L. Frank Baum was a pretty weird guy. He supported and believed in all kinds of things that we don't, and was an early supporter of radical feminism. Yet for all that, he had a vast, well-exercised imagination, a vivid and witty writing style, and an understanding of children that Sig Freud could only ever dream about.
Are the Wizard of Oz books strange? Undoubtedly, yes. There's a queen who puts on different heads according to the day and her mood, a talking sawhorse, a Nome king desperately afraid of eggs, an army of women armed with knitting needles, a tree that grows filled lunch pails....and that's not even the weird stuff.
It's this strangeness that makes them so appealing to kids. A child's imagination isn't limited to what makes sense, to what is internally consistent, to what won't be considered silly, or by any of the other constraints that adults use to hobble their own creative powers. Baum's imagination is a child's imagination, but he conveys it with the deftness of an excellent adult writer.
He also makes it scary. Kids know the world is scary and dangerous, though, so they aren't shocked when the terrifying Wheelers show up, or the Wicked Witch, or the flying monkeys (who aren't quite as creepy as their movie counterparts, actually). They expect things like that, and we shouldn't be too worried that they won't be able to handle such things.
We should also remember that just because something is weird or unfamiliar doesn't mean that it's frightening. A lot of what sends chills up an adult's spine (because of associations, memories, or whatever) will only make kids laugh. Oz is a land of harsh realities, paradisiacal fantasies, and curiosities, all designed to delight and thrill kids, not leave them sleepless.
Without Baum's prose style, all these features would likely fall flat. But he's the real wizard, casting words like elaborate spells that would hook us even without the crazy imaginings they contain. The two together—brilliant style and wild creation—make these some of the best children's books ever, and fantasies that all but the most adult-y grownups will gladly read.
After Baum's death, others picked the series up where he left off, and some of these books are entertaining, but the genius is contained to his original fourteen stories. John R. Neill's brilliant illustrations complement Lyman Frank's flights of fancy, and draw each of us for awhile into a land where a virtuous little girl encounters the strangest the world can offer with aplomb and wisdom.
| Order |
Title |
Illustrator |
Year |
| 1 |
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz |
W. W. Denslow |
1900 |
| 1 |
The Marvelous Land of Oz |
John R. Neill |
1904 |
| 3 |
Ozma of Oz |
John R. Neill |
1907 |
| 4 |
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz |
John R. Neill |
1908 |
| 5 |
The Road to Oz |
John R. Neill |
1909 |
| 6 |
The Emerald City of Oz |
John R. Neill |
1910 |
| 7 |
The Patchwork Girl of Oz |
John R. Neill |
1913 |
| 8 |
Tik-Tok of Oz |
John R. Neill |
1914 |
| 9 |
The Scarecrow of Oz |
John R. Neill |
1915 |
| 10 |
Rinkitink in Oz |
John R. Neill |
1916 |
| 11 |
Lost Princess of Oz |
John R. Neill |
1917 |
| 12 |
Tin Woodman of Oz |
John R. Neill |
1918 |
| 13 |
Magic of Oz |
John R. Neill |
1919 |
| 14 |
Glinda of Oz |
John R. Neill |
1920 |
| none |
Little Wizard Stories of Oz |
John R. Neill |
1914 |
Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews
here.
Did you find this review helpful?