The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

First of all, this Kindle version is superb. No errors, etc. Flawless.This is not the Hollywood story version that copies the 1939 movie with Judy Garland. At age 76, I decided to read this actual version by L. Frank Baum. It is a wonderful story and even as an adult I loved it. It is so well written and presents the desires of the characters to receive their brains, their heart and their courage in an even better way than the movie, I think.I almost did not get this book, thinking it was a children's book and nothing more. I read a whole lot and decided something a little frivolous wouldn't hurt me. And, it is a classic. The writing is very, very good.

Fantastic pictures and complete story. We read it over and over.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the 1900 children’s classic, was written by L. Frank Baum. It is a masterfully-written tale penned by this beloved American author. The book begins and ends in America’s heartland: Kansas.But have we been cheated?This highly-imaginative 1900 book was later followed by the film version in 1939, which is one of the most successful films ever made. From that point on, the film version began its journey to overtake the written medium. In fact, after the film was produced in BluRay many years later, the scarecrow’s face in the corn field, for example, showed the cross threads in the sackcloth for its head. Such clarity in film frames made watching this version of the film breathtakingly beautiful – and much more preferable to watching any of the other versions.Unfortunately, for both children and adults, watching the film has supplanted even reading the book.But there is more! In total, Baum wrote 14 Oz books! Some of these aren’t based in Kansas; Dorothy is an international globetrotter! (Read the 13 others to find out where she travels.)Theosophist L. Frank Baum seemed to be ‘plugged into’ a realm of searching for deep themes of truth, tapped into by other international groups: the freemasons, many of the religions, metaphysics, all of whom trace their beginnings back to the Egyptian Mystery Schools. Our ancient philosophers, mathematicians, and others (Aristotle, Pythagorus, etc.) also passed through these portals.* Eugene Whitworth has written a book for adults which examines similar themes and truths, Nine Faces of Christ.What are some of the main themes in books from both authors, Baum and Whitworth?1. STRONG MAN MADE OF METAL – a. Oz: The Tin Woodman/ b. *9 Faces: Man of Tin2. DIRECTIONS – a. Oz: E & W (Wicked Witches) and N & S (Good Witches)/ b. *9 Faces: Mysteries of the Orient3. NUMBERS – a. Oz: Dorothy clicking her heels 3X/ b. *9 Faces: # of imitations, genders, opposites, birth and death4. FLYING/ ASTRO TRAVELLING – a. Oz: the 2 professor’s balloon flights/ b. *9 Faces: Soul Flight (and also the Hijra in Islam in 622 AD)Whether for children or adults, both authors, though, have the same golden thread interwoven throughout their books.Baum used a variety of pen names on his books: males, females, and a military captain! He did this so because in those days, he could write about certain topics from different viewpoints for social and political purposes. He was a writer, newspaper editor, film producer, and actor.A wonderful next step to reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is to read the remaining 13 Oz books, to mine those books for main themes that tie into this book.I highly recommend the following reading tactics: reading silently, reading to children, or having children read the Wonderful Wizard of Oz book to you. Some extensions to this book could be to then go through the remainder of the Oz series books with children. Have them: discuss main themes, draw pictures, create personal ‘books’ with the important parts both drawn and labelled in them, etc.I highly recommend this wonderful book classic as a beginning Oz book for children to read or for an adult to read to children who cannot yet read.(* Eugene Whitworth’s beautiful, deep, sensitive book Nine Faces of Christ is about the metaphysical Christ; it is written for the adult at a higher, more cognitively astute, complex, intellectual level. Like Oz for children, adults might want to read this book to identify the same golden thread interwoven throughout both of them. I highly recommend reading this book, too!)

Like most Americans who were raised between the late 1960s-the early 1990s, I looked forward to the annual event of watching THE WIZARD OF OZ on broadcast television. Every year it was shown and it was something I looked forward to seeing each year. Until I was in fifth grade, my only exposure to L. Frank Baum's classic American fairy tale was watching the movie each year on tv. In fifth grade, I read the THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ for the first time and discovered that though the movie was similar in some aspects, it was radically different in others.The premise is the same as the classic film, young Dorothy is transported from her home in Kansas to a magical world called Oz. First she accidently kills a witch and meets the Munchkins. She just wants to get home and she's told that maybe the Wizard of Oz can help her. So, she sets down the yellow brick road to find the Emerald City and meet this great and powerful wizard. Along the way she's joined by a Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and a somewhat cowardly Lion. The Wicked Witch of the West doesn't really want Dorothy dead, but just wants her captured. There are also a bunch of winged monkeys who have to serve the Witch of the West.However, though the elements are all there, the story is actually quite different from the famed 1939 movie. For instance, unlike the movie, Dorothy really is transported to Oz in a tornado. It's not all just a dream. Or, take the Emerald City, it's not so much green because of all the jewels and actual green color, but more-so because of the green glasses anyone in the city must wear. And the flying monkeys, they only serve the Witch of the West because she is the person who controls a magic cap.Like what often happens with film adaptations, I found the book to be a much better overall story than the famous movie version it's based upon. Though there are some frightening moments in the movie THE WIZARD OF OZ, the original story is much more dark and frightening. Baum had said he wanted to write a truly American fairy tale and THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ is that. For instance, there are some creatures that actually die in the story and at one point Dorothy is turned into a slave. Many people complain about the Dainty China Country section doesn't fit with the rest of the story. While this part of the book is slightly different in tone and mood, I never found it to be offsetting. Dorothy's journey to the Emerald City and then to Glinda weren't completely straightforward so there are all kinds of side journeys she and her companions could take.Originally written for children and conceived as a one-part story, Baum had no idea how much fame, fortune, and success would result from the book. Since the story was so successful, the publisher asked for more Oz books and Baum complied and complied and complied. Sometimes he complied because he needed some more cash. In total, he wrote 14 Oz books. Being the first, THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ is one of the best. It really is an American fairy tale.

Fantastico libro pop-up. La storia è scritta in un inglese semplice e facile da capire anche per i bambini. Le illustrazioni ed i pop-up sono proprio fantasiosi e ben fatti. L'avevo comprato per i miei nipoti, ma poi gliel'ho fatto leggere a casa mia e l'ho tenuto io. È troppo bello e non vorrei lo rovinassero :)Sicuramente comprerò altri libri illustrati da questo artista "meraviglioso", lui sì, come il Mago di Oz

Many of the customer reviews seem to be for different versions of the book, such as a pop-up book and one with a gold-coloured cover, so I’ve attached some pictures to show the hardcover version that I received from Amazon.ca in September 2020. I purchased it as a Christmas gift so I haven’t read it myself. I can’t comment on the authenticity or completeness of this version compared to the original story but I’ve attached a picture of the Table of Contents. Based on a quick flip through the book, the reader will see an illustration most of the time that the page is turned. There is a full-colour, full-page illustration approximately every second chapter. Sometimes there is a black-and-white drawing on both sides of the opposing pages, and sometimes there is a small drawing on one side only. I noticed that there were a few pages with no illustrations on either side, but by far most had a drawing on at least one side.

4.5*I don't know if I'm able to say everything I wanna — specially in English, 'cause this is not my natural language and Ima still learning. But, anyway, here we go.Honestly, I did not so much for this story. Yeah, it's a classic and stuff, but always thought that would just be a predictable and silly book. Oh, how wrong was I. I've loved The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with all my flesh and soul.This is a very very cute story, with some really smart analogys. The characters were all so unique and lovable, and I really enjoy worldbuildings like this — kinda weirdo, but also magical and beautiful.Of course, there is some bad points to talk about. Nothing is perfect. In a moment of the novel, the lines get boring and just all the same, like you were rereading the same pages. The plot just stop going on.Although the bad and boring parts, The Magic of Oz is a great book that deserves his name as a classic.

Éste é um grande livro e tornou-se um clássico inesquecível . Dorothy, Totó, o espantalho, o homem de lata e o Leão medroso formam um grupo que representa bem os medos do desconhecido inerentes ao ser humano.O mágico representa o que a fantasia representa na maneira de vencer o medo e encontrar a maturidade. A grande lição que ele nos deixa é que todos precisam trilhar os caminhos que a vida nos impõe, as experiências nos ensinam, mas a verdade está de dentro de nós mesmos .

Thanks to Amazon for bringing this book out. There are many versions of this book and I have read several. The good part is that the common theme is the same. I like this version as it is quite clear and well written. I particularly liked the parts like hod Dorothy saved the scarecrow and the guardian of the gate. Overall, it's decent only. I do like other books by Baum.