REVIEW: "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum

 

SYNOPSIS

This is the story of Dorothy, a young farm girl from Kansas, as she is swept up in a cyclone and dropped into the strange land of Oz, a fantasy and untamed realm of magic. Here she quests for a way home by searching for a user of magic strong enough to send her back home.

She makes friends along the way, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and the Lion, each one suffering a predicament they believe only magic can fix, and she and her friends are forced to fight through the wilds of Oz and some evil inhabitants who lurk there.

MY INITIAL TAKE

Now, we have a children’s book whose fan base was so rabid, (as we all know most children and adults are) that the author was enslaved to pump out sequels until his death. Frankly, I don’t think that the book was that good, but then again, I didn’t read it until after I aged out of the intended audience range. Unlike usual, I will talk about events that do spoil plot points, but it’s story almost everyone knows, even if they haven’t read the book

This book, to me, is a simple and whimsical tale about a fantastic adventure with almost child-like attributes in descriptions and threats. It's a fun book, but mostly for a boring afternoon, or if you read it to children.

And sometimes, that's what you want. Nothing big or fancy, just a simple tale meant to entertain (I don't buy that silver nonsense. It's just looking into things too deeply.)

WHAT I LOVED MOST

Frankly, the most lovable thing about it is that it’s a cute story, with fun and silly characters. The story doesn’t require much thought, yet the situations are quite imaginative and fun to read. There’s not much to say about the book, as much of it is widely known, but there are a few differences, with one making the ending make far more sense.

LOVING CRITICISM

The most criticism that I can muster would be that the book is principally a children’s book, and people at a higher reading comprehension level may find it boring and unengaging. Like the last section, I don’t have much to say.

MY FAVORITE CHARACTER

Honestly, my favorite character would be a tie between Dorothy’s three companions: the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and the Lion.

The Scarecrow is an animate scarecrow who was made a few days before meeting Dorothy while she traveled through Munchkin land that seeks to be given a brain. He starts the story as clumsy and naïve, he begins to show a sense of cleverness. He creates intelligent and thoughtful solutions to Dorothy and the others’ problems, but because he equates having a brain with intelligence, he ironically believes himself incredibly dull.

The Tin Woodsman is a woodsman who was cursed by a witch to slowly lose his body parts until he had replaced all of it with Tin because he loved a girl. He believes himself incapable of love, and so abandoned his pursuit of the girl. Yet, he felt guilty and as such seeks to regain a heart. He thinks of himself as cold-hearted, but he is one of the most compassionate and sympathizing people in the whole book.

The Lion is a lion who lives in the forest, but was so intimidated by everything, used his reputation as a lion to frighten everyone away. He is the last to join Dorothy, and like the others, has a wish he wants granted. He desires courage, even though he shows it as he throws his life on the line for the others whenever they have need of his strength.

The reason I like these characters is the irony of their tales. Each one desires a quality that they fail to realize that they possess. The Wizard even points this out to them, and when they force him to give them it anyway, his solutions are obvious placebos. They really learn to show it as they continue on their journey, but they have become so focused on it being contingent on a physical quality, they fail to realize it until they receive placebos from the Wizard.

SHOULD YOU READ THIS BOOK?

Yes, though I do caution some. This book is different, and actually longer than the classic film, but it is meant for a young audience, and as such, may not be appealing to some.

REVIEW: "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

 

SYNOPSIS

A pilot stranded in the desert awakes one morning to see, standing before him, the most extraordinary little fellow. “Please,” asks the stranger, “draw me a sheep.” And the pilot realizes that when life’s events are too difficult to understand, there is no choice but to succumb to their mysteries. He pulls out pencil and paper and thus begins this wise and enchanting fable that in teaching the secret of what is really important in life, has changed forever the world for its readers.

WHAT I LOVE MOST

Honestly the theme of this book really moved me. This book I originally read as a young teen, and it is one of the few to make me cry. This book was originally written in French, and while I intend to read it as such someday, I have only read the translation by Richard Howard. 

This book is a children’s book, yet it is quite introspective at times, questioning what exactly people find valuable in life and detailing the little prince’s interactions as he stumbles through an adult world that he finds bewildering. This bewilderment is the source of the book’s message as the little prince questions the established actions of people as they chase what the little prince sees as meaningless things, yet we ourselves can see ourselves and people we know in these adults, forcing us to wonder whether we chase things of little value.

I feel this book is for all ages, as its simple plot and illustrations make it a story digestible for children, who might find a sense of connection to the little prince’s wonder at the frivolous pursuits and rules of adults, yet it really can be a story of rediscovering the passions of youth that one leaves behind to fit in with a mature world. I personally find the book a fantastic view on children and adults alike.

LOVING CRITICISM

Honestly, this book is very satisfactory for children, though the tragedy may be harsh to them. Adults may find the book simplistic and the symbolism obvious, and they may find it ridiculous to read a book written for children’s comprehension level.

MY FAVORITE CHARACTER

My favorite character would have to be the pilot. The pilot’s role in the story is at first glance minimal. He acts as the storyteller for the little prince, nothing but a vehicle for us to have a glimpse into the story of the little prince and his rose.

On the second look, you realize what he is. The principle crux of his character is his fascination with the little prince. The pilot presents himself as a responsible adult who simply desires to fix his broken plane and escape the desert. He is the grounded realist, contrasting with the imaginative dreamer that is the little prince. Yet he becomes fascinated with the prince because he sees himself in the prince. 

The prince asks him to draw a sheep, a task a young pilot would have enjoyed. But after the pilot’s dreams of artistry were crushed in childhood when his pictures failed to garner interest and were dismissed. The pilot, ready to get rid of him, hands a drawing he made as a child, but he is shocked when the prince correctly identifies the picture. This leads to the pilot seriously attempting to draw a sheep, and after that he begins their acquaintance.

The pilot sees in the little prince the imaginative wonder he once had, but was crushed when the grown-ups around him thought it wasn’t respectable. This is the first person that the pilot sees as truly understanding of him, and their friendship grows until the pilot repairs the plane and their sorrowful farewell.

SHOULD YOU READ THIS BOOK?

This question’s answer, to me, is yes. This book is an emotional journey for both adults and children as we look at what exactly is meaningful in life, and it shows the joys of youthful imagination.