The Wizard of Oz [Hardcover]

L. Frank Baum (Author), Lisbeth Zwerger (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

After being transported by a cyclone to the land of Oz, Dorothy and her dog are befriended by a scarecrow, a tin man, and a cowardly lion, who accompany her to the Emerald City to look for a wizard who can help Dorothy return home to Kansas.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For many of us, the adventures of Dorothy in Oz will forever be associated not with Judy Garland singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" but with W. W. Denslow's exceedingly odd line drawings for the original editions of Baum's Oz series. The Viennese artist Lisbeth Zwerger, however, goes a long way toward providing a new and refreshed set of images for the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the humbug wizard. These illustrations are often cockeyed, with occasional realistic details thrown in, like a crow with a corncob in its beak in the first portrait of the Scarecrow. The characters have a poignance and oddity that escaped the makers of the Oz movie.

From Publishers Weekly

Viennese illustrator and Hans Christian Andersen Medalist Lisbeth Zwerger takes a fresh look at L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz in a large-format edition. Zwerger's fantastical, delicate, eccentric illustrations bear no resemblance to the vision of the movie; they make the classic tale new again. And readers can view the Emerald City through a pair of green-tinted glasses, provided in the back of the book.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 103 pages
• Publisher: North-South Books (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558586385
• ISBN-13: 978-1558586383
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #713,813 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lisbeth Zwerger's New Oz Depictions, June 7, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: The Wizard of Oz (Hardcover)

The FULL ORIGINAL Story with NEW PICTURES in less than 100 pages!
I've looked through this book myself and I quite enjoyed the pictures, as this book makes a change from the previous traditional-drawn editions. Dorothy's hair is short, the Scarecrow is fat, Glinda looks french (in fact all the pictures give a bit of a French/European feeling when you look at them) and a few other changes, both a bit funny and interesting. An earlier reviewer said that the Good Witch of the North was difficicult to make out - I disagree. Many of the pictures have a bit of symbolism - e.g. on the page where the Wicked Witch of the West sends her wolves, she (specifically, her figure) is drawn as if it's/she's the ground and if you think about it, it's like Lisbeth is showing that the Witch says "You are MY domain of the West. I control what happens here!" Dorothy holds a GIANT Silver Shoe is she tries one on, and on page 45, when the green man mentions the many 'disguises' the Wizard can take form of (elephant, brownie, cat, fairy, 'any other form', etc.) she actually DOES draw those images. Just like John R. Neil, Lisbeth gives clothes to some of the Oz Animals to wear (the mouse Queen wears a polka-dot dress/suit and a ring on her tail!) The Kalidahs may scare very little kids, with their giant bodies, long tongues, long sharp teeth and claws. The Poppy Field brings to mind the giant poppy costumes from the 1902 Musical, (which is on the back cover of "Oz: Before the Rainbow"). Of course, it would have been nice if Lisbeth drew Dorothy looking around at the country of Oz (maybe showing the Witch's feet under the house) instead of the same old Munchkin-and-Witch-greeting. My favourite picture is with Dorothy and Toto flying back to Kansas. And the forest/trees where Dorothy and Scarecrow find Nick are pleasantly designed. For (Nick Chopper) the Tin woodman's story (24-25), Lisbeth draws him 4 times, but with his body turning to tin bit-by-bit. As for the writing, the pages are divided in half, giving us two long paragraphs down the page, so that when a chapter ends, the next chapter takes over on the next half of the page. Many pictures satisfy the story.
Also included in this book (in the back) is a pair of green glasses, which you can use to look through on the Emerald City pages (she explains why on pg 102). If you think about it and look at the images carefully, the pictures in this edition may just be better than you think . . .

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A reader and an uncle, April 12, 2005

By 

Janan Neilson "brockilly" (Burley, Idaho) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wizard of Oz, 100th Anniversary Edition (Hardcover)

I have not found a more beautifuly illustrated book yet, in any genre of book.
This book is marvelous!

This is the Wizard of Oz book to own. The pictures are very different from the movie, but incredibly beautiful and enchanting. The realistic and fantasy lighting in this book is beyond description, its the very best of any chilrens book I have ever seen.

My mother gave me this book when I was a child and I have cherished it ever since.
The story could not be presented in a more complimentary and beautiful way, its wonderful.

I recommend this to anyone, parents, child, or single adult, the book is wonderful!

It may be hard to find, but it is well worth it. This book will teach its readers and viewers to aprechiate great art.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb All-Round Wonderful Wizard, August 8, 2004

By 

Yi-Peng (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wizard of Oz, 100th Anniversary Edition (Hardcover)

This well-illustrated version of The Wizard of Oz is what I regard as a definitive gift-book edition of the story. Santore's superb illustrations speak for themselves and serve as vivid and real pictorial depictions of Baum's enchanting fantasy world. In addition, the carefully-condensed text flows so smoothly that the story moves ever vforward, without the transient episodes, that it does not seem lacking at all. I know that some readers might find the story lacking with omissions and such, but it is not a serious problem because the essence is still there. In short, a superb book for any fan of Oz, and any new readers encountering this world for the first time.