The Lion of Oz & the Badge of Courage [Hardcover]

Roger S. Baum (Author), Sean Coons (Illustrator), Gloria Estefan (Introduction)

Book Description

This adventure by the great-grandson of L. Frank Baum introduces the Cowardly Lion as a cub up until he meets Dorothy and the others on the Yellow Brick Road.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 247 pages
• Publisher: Yellow Brick Road Pub; 1st edition (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 096301014X
• ISBN-13: 978-0963010148
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,721,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars The Lion cowers tonight..., February 26, 2010

By 

J. Alford (Atlanta, GA. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Lion of Oz and the Badge of Courage (Hardcover)

Before the animated movie came out, the original novel it was based on came gained Roger S. Baum(L. Frank Baum's great-grandson)a status as a children's book author. This book acts a prequal to the original Wizard Of Oz book, with the Lion being taken away from Africa as a cub to a circus in Omaha. He grows up in captivity, and is befriended by the balloonist, Oscar Diggs. One day, Oscar gives him a souvenir medal for courage, and takes him on a flight in his balloon, but they end up flying off course to the land of Oz. Lion gets seperated from Oscar whose balloon gets sent blown further away. He's confronted by the Wicked Witch of the West who pretends to have captured Oscar, and threatens Lion with this for him to find the fabled "Flower of Oz" for her. Lion then runs into a trio of fairies who are being attacked by the Witch's minion, Gloom, and then makes his way to Castle Gray. He befriends the strange springy bear-like SillyOZbul, the young girl Wimsik, and her living toys, Caroline and Captain Fitzgerald. They agree to help Lion in his quest, even though Wimsik has never left there. Along the way, they encounter the enigmatic Sign Maker, the wicked Seamstress, and the friendly dragon Burt. They even run across the Wizard of Oz himself(who is actually Oscar), but he doesn't at first recognize Lion as his old friend. In the end, its revealed that Wimsik is the Flower, and she is reinstated as a powerful magic user. Whether this is supposed to mean she's some relation to Ozma is never revealed. Afterwards, Lion is just seen on his own(without any kind of goodbye scene with his newfound friends), and loosing his badge to the Witch. This leads to his historic meeting with Dorothy and the others. The book offers a good plot, and is enjoyable for anyone whose at least read Wizard Of Oz, although there doesn't seem to be any kind of time elapse between when Lion first lands in Oz and having Oscar instantly becoming the Wizard. Plus they never really show the revelation of Lion discovering that Oscar is the Wizard which never came up in the original WOO book. Sean Coons provides some great illustrations, and helps make it valuable hardcover. I kinda prefer Gregory Maguire's, A Lion Amoung Men, as an origin story for the Lion, but this book is alot better for younger readers. I'd recommend it to all Oz fans and as a fine gift for your children.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Origin" of the Cowardly Lion's Adventure with the Magic Flower in Oz, July 7, 2005

By 

Sam A. Milazzo (Sydney, N.S.W Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lion of Oz and the Badge of Courage (Hardcover)

I loved Roger S. Baum's "Dorothy of Oz" book (see my review) and this book was also something I was intersted in reading. So I asked to have this book ordered in, I bought it and read the story . . .
It starts with a cub living with his parents "near the edge of the North African Plain", who is suddenly separated from his parents and taken away to the 'Omaha Magnificent Circus, Omaha, Nebraska, USA' where he meets and befriends a circus man named Oscar Zoroaster Diggs, who gives him a Badge of Courage out of Friendship. One day, the two are in a balloon and a storm causes them to be carried away, where they slowly come to a beautiful place surrounded by a desert, but again Lion is attacked and is separated from Oscar. In Oz, he meets Wiser, the Owl-like Bird, who suggests for him to go North. But after meeting a talking tree, the Wicked Witch of the East appears and threatens Lion to do what she wishes: which is find the Flower of Oz and bring it to her. After he helps save a lagoon, he meets SillyOZbul Perkins and together they arrive at Castle Gray, home to a girl named Wimsik. She also decides to join Lion and become his friend, bringing along her living toy friends, Caroline and Captain Fitzgerald. On their journey to find the Flower of Oz, they are constantly followed by the Wicked Witch of the East, making the journey dangerous. After leaving the Wizard's Room, they encounter Burt the Baby Dragon, who is also followed by the Witch. Their journey takes them mostly throughout the Blue-East corner of Oz, where they often help villagers and stop evil spells, bring back life and happiness, in their tests of courage. They again reunite with Burt and meet his parents, who help them with a dangerous rescue. After that, Perkins is reunited with the rest of his SillyOZbulls herd. They come across a house belonging to Seamstress, servant to the Wicked Witch of the West, who attempts to imprison them, but luckily is thwarted by her sinister sister. Nearing the end of their journey, they return to the lagoon from before, and just when all seems lost in darkness, Lion reveals the Flower of Oz, bringing the East of Oz back to peace and defeating the Wicked Witch, which courses him to become from now on the Cowardly Lion. Walking through a forest, Lion encounters a girl, a dog, a sacrecrow and a tin man walking along a yellow brick road . . .
Just like 'Dorothy of Oz' this book makes changes from the original 'Wonderful Wizard' story but still keeping the Silver Shoes (some of which of course are from the MGM movie, but more so): the Wicked Witches of the East and West are sisters (with green skin), along with the Good Witch of the North and Glinda of the South being mentioned and said to be sisters too (which is a pleasant surprise), a rainbow appears, the Emerald City is mentioned several times and the Wizard is (drawn) already old with white-hair and moustache. Also, although Lion has a full-mane it's surprising to know his age before Dorothy meets him, as well the ages of a few other characters in the story, and a little secret about lion's eyes are revealed, which may not seem important but magically mysterious in a mystical way. Roger mentions a castle belonging to the Wicked Witch of the East, but it is not encountered.
This was quite a book: 247 pages of reading, 27 Chapters (many of which only last 2 pages) and 14 full-page colourfully illustrated pictures. There should have been more pictures, drawing all the new and farmiliar characters from this and other stories. This story was exciting, joyful, also a bit sad at most points, especially at what the Wicked Witch does, but also a few times a bit predictable and anti-climactic/not exciting. However, this story does not show how Lion came to know about the Kalidahs and how he becomes 'cowardly' is not really established or explained properly (which definitely should've been in this book), but the story is still an excellent read. Since Lion comes to Oz from America like Oscar the Wizard, it's easier to notice how both these characters pretend to be something they're not. I guess Lion could've already been born in Oz as L. Frank Baum's original says, but I suppose then this story wouldn't exist, and Lion wouldn't have his own 'before Dorothy met him' story.
I decided to read this book before seeing the animated 'Lion of Oz' Movie on DVD, and I look forward to ordering it someday, watching a new 'Oz' Movie (therefore seeing such unillustrated characters from this book in animation), and placing a new Oz feature on my shelf. Once I see the DVD, I will review it.