The Emerald City of Oz [Hardcover]

L. Frank Baum (Author), John R. Neill (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1990

An excerpt: The Nome King could think of nothing to say next, so he puffed away at his pipe and paced up and down the room. Finally, he remembered how angry he was, and cried out: "What do you mean, Kaliko, by being so contented when your monarch is unhappy?" "What makes you unhappy?" asked the Steward. "I've lost my Magic Belt. A little girl named Dorothy, who was here with Ozma of Oz, stole my Belt and carried it away with her," said the King, grinding his teeth with rage. "She captured it in a fair fight," Kaliko ventured to say. "But I want it! I must have it! Half my power is gone with that Belt!" roared the King. "You will have to go to the Land of Oz to recover it, and your Majesty can't get to the Land of Oz in any possible way," said the Steward, yawning because he had been on duty ninety-six hours, and was sleepy.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4 Up?If only the superior production values of this audiobook were in service to a better story. The fine vocal characterizations by the actors and actresses really bring the characters to life. To children unaccustomed to read-aloud tapes, using several readers instead of only one will help listeners distinguish who is who. The entire text of the book is narrated, including "he said" and "she said," which allows the tape to be used as a read-along when paired with a copy of the book. Too bad this title is one of Baum's least compelling, even though there are several action scenes. The Emerald City of Oz begins at a snail's pace with the introduction of the villain, Nome King, who wants to destroy the Emerald City and retrieve his magic belt. The beginning also reintroduces Dorothy, Auntie Em, and Uncle Henry. We can look forward to other releases by Piglet Press if they are produced with such a fine cast of actors.
Penny Peck, San Leandro Public Library, CA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Aunt Emma, Uncle Henry and Dorothy, well treated during a Kansas draught-enforced visit at Ozma's court, are nevertheless unhappy because they have nothing special to do. But a trip through the Quadling country to Glinda's region puts new life in everyone. The Kansans decide to stay and Glinda decides to make Oz invisible to passing airplanes. Harry McNaught's flat, paper cut-out technique in the pictures, cleverly suggest depth and humor. --Kirbus Reviews --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Peter Smith Pub Inc (December 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844663999
• ISBN-13: 978-0844663999
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,577,208 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best oz book, February 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Emerald City of Oz (The Emerald City of Oz) (Mass Market Paperback)

Though I loved the original Wizard of Oz, and have enjoyed all the Oz books for more than 20 years (back to when my mother first read them to me), Emerald City ranks as my all-time favorite. It's full of adventure, suspense and humor. Who could forget the ridiculous roly-poly Nomes and their quixotic plan to conquer Oz with the help of some rather bizarre allies? Or the village where every house and fence (not to mention every inhabitant) was edible? As I write this, my week-old son sleeps in my lap. I can't wait to read him this book when he's old enough to appreciate it.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still my favorite Oz book, January 3, 2005

By 

Daniel Rosenberg (Highland Park, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Emerald City of Oz (Books of Wonder) (Hardcover)

I just read The Emerald City of Oz to my little boy, who's almost five (see my earlier review of the book from 2000 which I wrote when he was about a week old!), and he and I both enjoyed it immensely. We're reading all the Oz books in order, and are now on our eighth (Tik-Tok of Oz). My son is a huge Oz fan.

One cautionary note to those who wish to read this book to their young children: My little one was actually quite upset and frightened at the prospect of Oz being invaded and possibly destroyed by the Nomes and their ferocious allies. A number of times I had to soothe him by explaining that Ozma was sure to find some way to save her country. Perhaps this is a better book for older children.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite Oz books, December 14, 2000

By 

Jon Shemitz (Santa Cruz, California, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Emerald City of Oz (Books of Wonder) (Hardcover)

This Oz book is one of the more disjointed ones, more a sort of package tour of Ozma's magic kingdom than a quest. But the vignettes are charming and stick with you. The "Rigamaroles" have become part of this family's culture, with my 12 yo son and I occasionally getting into rigamarole competitions, where we go on and on without saying anything. Bunbury and Bunnybury also stuck with me during the six years between reading this to my first son and my second; utensia is ... punny; and the cuttenclips, the fuddles, and the flutterbudgets are all cute and endearing. A great read aloud for the 5 to 10 set.

Onr thing, though: The famed metallic ink in the Books Of Wonder edition is just sort of glittery. Nice, but not really any big deal. I don't think that this is the best looking BoW Oz book.