The Wizard of Oz

By L. Frank Baum

Words from the achiever

“I remember one of the first books my mother introduced me to was The Wizard of Oz. I can remember reading all of that series of the Wizard of Oz. I was very impressed. I kind of enjoyed the Tin Man. I remember the Wizard of Oz saying to the Tin Man, “You want a heart?” And the Tin Man said, “Yes I do.” And the Wizard said, “Sometimes having a heart is not very good. It will make many people very unhappy.” And the Tin Man said, “I will bear all unhappiness without a murmur if you will only give me a heart.” I enjoyed that.

As I got a little older, I enjoyed Robert Service a great deal, particularly “The Spell of the Yukon.” Because growing up in the West, and the mountains, I can remember very vividly things like, “I’ve stood in some mighty-mouthed hollow/That’s plumb-full of hush to the brim.” I remember us camping in the West, and standing at some mighty-mouthed hollow, plumb full of hush to the brim. That excited me about poetry.”

About the book

After a cyclone transports her to the land of Oz, Dorothy must seek out the great wizard in order to return to Kansas.