Customer Reviews

Kabumpo in Oz (Oz Books)

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The story begins when Prince Pompadore of the Kingdom of Pumperdink stes off with his elegant elepaht Kabumpo to seek the 'proper' princess for him to marry, or his kingdom will dissapear forever. Meanwhile, Ruggedo finds a box of mixed magic, grows to the size of a giant and carries Ozma's palace away from the Emerald City on his head. Its upto Prince Pompadore to rescue Princess Ozma, whom he thinks to be his 'proper' princess, but only Wag the Giant Rabbit and Peg Amy the live wooden doll have teh secret to rescue Ozma and save Prince Pompadore's kingdom from dissapapearing. This is one of Ruth Thompson's best books, for that matter, one of the best Oz stories ever, The characters are very 'ozzy', especially Kabumpo and so are the plot-lines and teh adventures.....A must for all Oz fans!

This is Ruth Plumly Thompson's second Oz book, and it is a definite improvement over her first effort, THE ROYAL BOOK OF OZ. This is the book that introduces Thompson's best character, Kabumpo, the Elegant Elephant of Oz. Here, he helps Prince Pompadore of Pumperdink to find the Proper Princess and save the kingdom. The story is a lot of fun, and contains such interesting creations as the Curious Cottabus, who lives on questions, and a runaway country so intent on being settled that it kidnaps the heroes. It also features the return of Ruggedo, the former Nome King. Although Thompson makes a mistake involving Ruggedo's size (which she doesn't make in future books), she does a good job with the character. Wag, a giant rabbit who talks in spoonerisms, is a good addition to the ranks of Oz characters. While Thompson still makes some mistakes, including some involving the timing of the story, this book shows that she can write just as well as Baum, and was an excellent choice to continue the Oz series.

I'm especially affectionate about this book because some sweet person gave it to me when I was recovering from having my tonsils out (a common operation, long ago). My sister and I read it to shreds and can still quote bits from the poems. I am delighted it is available; it's going to be my Christmas gift to my sister. The Elegant Elephant is a splendid animal. The ending is perhaps predictable in a satisfactorily classic way. Oh, my purple wool socks! give it to the kids and maybe some big kids.

Somehow I missed Kabumpo when I read all the Oz books as a child. This is a great story with lots of action, sure to appeal to everyone. The Nome King makes a wonderfully villainous appearance and several new and interesting characters are introduced. John R. Neill's illustrations are wonderful, as always. This is a very worthy inclusion in the Oz series.

I have read and really enjoyed most of the Oz books. This book, Kabumpo in Oz, is a charmer, but has a little less charm than some others written by Thompson. Kabumpo and the prince go out to save their kingdom by the prince marrying Ozma but she refuses, even after he saved her. How the prince finds a wife makes for an amusing book. There are some very lovable characters in this book, and Ruggedo, the gnome, makes an appearance in this book, too!

Wouldn't it be awful if, on your tenth birthday, your wonderful birthday cake exploded right in front of your face; and a scroll was found inside, which read that if you didn't marry a "proper" princess by the "proper" time your kingdom would disappear?

Ruth Plumly Thompson, author of "Kabumpo in Oz," continued the Oz series after creator L. Frank Baum's death. After taking Baum's unfinished notes, she wrote "The Royal Book of Oz." Then she wrote 18 more Oz books. (Including this one) Even though this book is more than 80 years old, it is just as fantastic as it was in 1922. This book is number 16 in the series.

This story begins in a small kingdom of Pumperdink in the northern country of the Land of Oz. It is Prince Pompadore's birthday and all is well. The cooks are summoned and out comes the most wonderful birthday cake you have ever seen. Alas, no matter how hard the prince blows, the candles stay lit. Kabumpo, the Elegant Elephant of Oz, attempts the strange dilemma and not only do all of the candles blow out, but the whole cake explodes! The only clue to this unfortunate accident is a scroll, threatening that if the prince does not marry a "proper" princess by the "proper" time, Pumperdink will disappear! The novel continues as Kabumpo and Pompadore search for a "proper" princess and on the way the meet their comrades Peg Amy, a large wooden doll, and Wag, a large comical rabbit.

I found this novel very clever, adventurous, and fun. The only thing that bugged me was how few problems the adventurers had with the evil side. Glegg, the "bad guy" appears in a cloud of smoke and threatens to take Peg Amy away. (Who is really the former human princess of Sun Top Mountain) But just when you realize what has happened, he disappears and isn't shown again anywhere in the novel. I just wish the author could have developed more conflicts to encounter with Glegg specifically; other than Rith Metic, where invaders have to work their way through by solving math equations; and the Illumi Nation, where candles with flame heads try to light intruders up. Actually, there were a lot of conflicts to encounter, but Glegg just came and went too fast!

Anyone who enjoys fantasy, such as Narnia or Prydain, should read the Oz books. Don't be surprised if you can't put this book down.

"The Cowardly Lion of Oz" is the next book in the series.

_Kabumpo in Oz_ (1922) is the sixteenth Oz book and the second to be written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. Thompson proved to be a worthy successor to L. Frank Baum. (She was, in fact, Baum's first choice for a successor.) She had a smooth style, a fresh imagination, and a good (albeit, a more heavy-handed) sense of humor. Her books were also a touch less racist than Baum's.

Starting with _Kabumpo_, we see some conventions that were a bit different from Baum. Baum's central characters tended to be girls. The central character (though not the brightest one) in _Kabumpo_ is a boy named Prince Pompadore. Thompson's books tended to feature more boy heroes.

Baum's Oz novels tended to feature romance and marriage only very sparingly. _Kabumpo_ ends with a marriage (though not the marriage that Prince Pompadore was expecting). Thompson's novels frequently end in marriage. Some critics have speculated that this was because Thompson herself never married-- a kind of wish fulfillment. I am not altogether persuaded. After all, we don't say that Jane Austin married off her heroines simply because _she_ never married.

Thompson's human characters are frequently assisted by one or more magic characters. In this novel, Prince Pompadore is aided by Peg Amy, a wooden doll brought to life, Kabumpo the Elegant Elephant, and Wag the Rabbit.

Old favorites who also appear include Princess Ozma, Glinda the Good, Scraps the Patchwork Girl, Sir Hokus of Pokus, and Tik Tok the mechanical man. And there is also Ruggedo. Baum described this scoundrel as "the Nome King". It was, I thought, a title of distinction. Thompson "corrected" Baum on his "misspelling" and referred to him as "the Gnome KIng". In any event, Ruggedo is up to his old tricks and manages to create trouble for others and to himself.

As with _The Royal Book of Oz_ (1921), the illustrations are by John R. Neill. Neill drew most of the Baum Oz books and all of Thompson's. The chances are very good that when we visualize the Oz books, we imagine Neill's whimsical sketches.

This is a wonderful addition to my Wizard of Oz collection. These books help find the child within and helps bring out my creative side.

A lot of people like KABUMPO IN OZ, but I don't understand why. Kabumpo himself is one of my favorite characters, in RPT's LATER books, PURPLE PRINCE and SILVER PRINCESS, written after she had mastered the Elegant Elephant's special arrogant-but-kindly diction. But in KABUMPO he is obviously a first-draft of the character. And other than the title character, what does the book have to recommend it? Pompadour is neither clever nor appealing, and as for Peg-Amy, what a goofy character, the least attractive of RPT's many dancing air-head heroines. Wag is smellier and more annoying than anyone and his dialogue "Oh, my urple sool wocks!" is among the few things in Oz I'd be too embarrassed to read aloud. All the characters' reasoning skills seem much inferior to those in Baum's books, as if they had grown younger, back into toddlerhood. Even Ruggedo experiments with the Mixed Magic in amateur, childish fashion. The magic itself is terribly contrived--you can reverse the giant-growth AND hypnotize the giant into walking back to Oz, just by pouring triple-trick-tea on his feet??? (I guess the third trick was making J. Glegg explode.) The explanation "How It All Came About" is completely unsatisfactory, tacked-on.

I would say KABUMPO displays all RPT's faults vividly, and her virtues only in embryo.

I have been wondering where this purches was. As it has never arrived from Amazon, I cannot very well review it. I am not worried, it's Amazon.
I just assumed my order did not take. BB Rye, NY