Another pause in my routine; I'm running out of pictures that I have transported over to this loaner machine. And so another visit to the happy part of childhood, namely, the Oz books. I read and reread these wonderful tales from the time I was in second grade until about grade seven, if I remember correctly. The dotter has the family collection somewhere up in Alaska, but she did forward to me this URL for a children's literature site that reproduces every page of the original series written by L. Frank Baum. Now you've no excuse not to know this most American of children's lit.For a totally different adventure, you might join Rich of the Airstream Chronicles Continued over in the southern California desert. He is spending a week photographing the Anza Borrego, everything from scenery to early spring wildflowers; just keep scrolling down to see all his pix. On the other hand, perhaps you are into board games, but need other players. Turns out that there's a 2x monthly game night over at the downtown public library; read about it at The Imaginary Village. Tombo has a link-worthy adventure at least once per week; this time, read about his discovery of a vintage vehicle graveyard down Kirkland way. However, for the most improbable happening, ride out with Kate and her horse to a field in the high Uintas where you are suddenly faced with a spooky field defended by 200 snowmen. Eek!
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11 comments:
Of note, under the title, "the further advntures of the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman" is printed. Hollywood, in it's wisdom, used the term Tinman--which is bloody wrong!! I was one pissed off nine year old when this travesty occurred.
Hermano
Thanks for the link GJ!
AC mentions something I've always wondered about. Why was he called the "Tinman"? Easier for children to say?
Love the 200 snowmen. That must have been one spooked Meg (the mare)!
~Anon in AV.
I don't know if I should admit this or not, but I, (the girl with her nose forever stuck in a book) never read the OZ books as a child. I'm now viewing this as deprivation!
GrannyJ
Oz books are are good reading even into adulthood. I had a couple of the Oz books that were damaged by the flood in my house so they will need to be dumped. Sad. But seeing them reminded me that I should re-read even though I probably read them within the last 10 years.
Funny thing is, yesterday I was embroidering some Oz characters for something.
I love the Wizard of Oz.
Hey! Thanks for the link! I have fond memories of a set of books from childhood, too. The whole Prince Caspian thing. I read them over and over and over again. Never once picked up on the religious overtones. But, then missing the bleeding obvious is have the fun of being a kid. Hope all is well. - kate
bro -- I too was pissed off. In fact, I never quite took to the movie version. I think it was the Wizard of Oz that taught me the great lesson about Hollywood versions of my favorite books. Not!
Tombo -- always happy to oblige! Especially seeing as how you have neat photo adventures to share.
anon av -- just Hollywood asserting its muscle, I'd say. They might have figured that no kid would understand what a woodman was; that's assuming they had a real reason for mucking about. As for the snowmen -- wasn't that deliciously outre?
lindag -- you poor dear!!!! You missed half of the most important childhood reading. So read them now. I think you might get a kick out of Oz.
qd -- you've got me thinking about rereading one or two of the Oz books...
kate -- I think the Prince Caspian books arrived after my basic childhood. And, seeing as how Oz was passed along to me thanks to Mom and her sisters, I was actually recapitulating an earlier generation's reading. I loved your snowmen! That's my kind of adventure, when I'm lucky.
Dover Press reprinted the Oz series (still does), using the original plates. That's how Gen X'ers like me were treated to those wonderful early 20th century typeface and illustrations. Somebody donated the entire Baum series to the Primavera School library, where I read them. Between trips to Alaska you might find an Oz title still there.
Me, I always wanted the magical sawhorse which came to life, and that underwater palace called up from the center of a lake.
melanie -- 's funny. Dorothy was just too doggonne down to earth for me, but I loved Scraps & the Woozy & the Sawhorse. Also, do you remember the brief life of the Gump? When I was a kid, the librarians were down on L. Frank Baum and there was nary a one of the Oz books to be found therein. Not literary enough was the consensus at the time.
Recently I read that the original Wizard of Oz book was a hidden satire against the gold standard. Have you ever run across that?
boonie -- it seems to me that I may have come across this interpretation at one time ... wouldn't be surprised at all.
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