Customer Reviews

The Wizard of Oz

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The problem with illustrating a classic with an expired copyright is that the book can get lost in the shuffle, especially if it's The Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland. Every time a new edition of The Wizard comes out, there's about a 75% chance that I'll pass on it. Every time I do buy one I think, well, this will probably be the end of it. And then a new edition comes out--like this one. All one has to do is look at the cover to see that the reader is in for a fiendish ride indeed. Dorothy's a pretty little doll and Toto rides around on his little cart and doesn't move a muscle. The flowers and plant life look like things that would grow in Pepperland. The Scarecrow's face is drawn on with a red magic marker; the Tin Man looks like he was assembled from odds and ends one would find under the sink. The Lion doesn't look well at all and the Winged Monkeys look like bombers. The picture of the Wizard on page 204 resembles Donald Rumsfeld (but I suspect that's a coincidence; this book is hardly political.)
Well, I think you get the idea. This edition reminds me of those cute little furry yellow chick books by Sloane Tanen who are so full of angst.
A cautionary reminder--this book is the original text by L. Frank Baum. If you've only seen the movie, then some of these pictures may not make sense. Now for the teasers--both Glinda and the beautiful lady whom the Scarecrow sees as Oz during his private audience have the faces of two very famous ladies. See if you can figure out who they are.

My husband has one of the original Baum books from his father's childhood. Our daughters were read these books and became fantastic fans of the Oz movies. This book seemed like a good addition to the family and is slated to be a Christmas present. It's a lovely book. The illustrations are appropriately creepy and imaginative as the original text. If you really like the original concept of the books, you will love this book.

Graham is brilliant, both in thought and design. This is a great interpretation of a wonderful story - as originally written - colorfully illustrated by the imaginative Graham Rawle. Experience Oz again and dance with delight as both Toto and Dorothy safely arrive back home. This book is a great size too, larger than I expected. This allows for simply fantastic illustrations of which there are 100. Great gift idea too.

Intitally I wasn't taken with the Dorothy doll used, but I couldn't resist with the clever complete interpretation of the full story of the Wizard of Oz. If you want a story to appear with images to match the descriptions and words (and not popular Hollywood images) then this version is for you, right up to the witch with the telescopic eye. The clever use of bits and pieces to construct the land of Oz in the double page spread is worthy of an hour of careful observation and discovery alone. I just think that I could have picked a better and less creepy Dorothy but I am getting sort of used to her!

This is a fun edition of the Wizard of Oz, but it is not a cutesie kid's book in my opinion. Think more of a Tim Burton situation, you're not getting mainstream Disney here folks:) The pictures are kind of creepy...Dorothy is a porcelain doll. The pictures look like they went through a bunch of old ladies' curio cabinets to find creepy dolls, dogs, toys, and other nick knacks, put clothes on some of them, and then took pictures of them for this book. Some of the pictures are cartoon character bodies with photos of actual people's head photo shopped in. This is a great book, depending on your audience. If you have a teenager or adult who would like it, proceed with your purchase. If it is for a young child, possibly reconsider unless they would like that sort of thing.

It is a great book with interesting pictures. The book is a type of book that could be enjoyed by all family members! You can read it loudly to younger members, and on the other side, children could read it by themselves.

This book is well constructed but I wouldn't even take it free because of the disturbing illustrations. The words of this classic story are in a constant struggle with the accompanying images in this edition, which attempt to reinterpret many details. The extra-vibrant, distractingly bizarre photo-like images greatly detract from the story. Much better to go with something like the version illustrated by Michael Hague. The Wizard of Oz