There is nothing better than getting sucked into a great book. As any teacher knows, our bookshelves can become crowded after years of collecting great reads. After many years, its necessary for me to empty some shelves. While doing this, I ran across a couple titles that I must read once more in my lifetime. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is one of those stories.
One of the best things about this book, is that it unfolds in a completely different way than the movie we’ve all seen so many times in our lifetimes. From the opening scene, when Auntie Em runs down the ladder into the storm cellar without Dorothy, new details stand out.
There were enough fantastic details to give the movie makers a place from which to create the magical land of Oz. Every time I see the movie, it’s hard to remember than it was made in 1939. One of the all time greats.
The book explains why each character is seeking help. Of course, the scarecrow needs a brain, the tin-man needs a heart, the lion needs courage, and Dorothy just wants to go home. But the reasons behind their deficits are explained in a little more detail.
That this story was written in 1900 and yet is so readable is a bit surprising.
Lyman Frank Baum wrote about Oz and many other things. A prolific author, in addition to the 14 Oz books, Baum penned 41 other novels (not including four lost, unpublished novels), 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts ( according to Wikipedia).
After a lifetime of writing fabulous stories told with descriptive paragraphs creating stunning visual images, Baum suffered a stroke, slipped into a coma. He died the following day at the age of 62. His last words spoken to his wife during a brief period of lucidity: “Now we can cross the Shifting Sands.” In his books, the land of Oz is cut off from the rest of the world by impassable wastelands, including a desert called the Shifting Sands.
Enjoying this story more than a grown woman should, I suspect I’ll need to read the 39 books that came after this amazing story.
Whatever you do today, consider returning to a favorite book you may have placed on a shelf long ago. Books are a magical carpet ride taking the reader on adventures beyond the normal persons imagination. Please excuse me now, as I don’t want Dorothy and the gang to get too far ahead.
More tomorrow.