[ Mood: Happy ]
[ Currently: Watching My son play and trying to stop him from terrorizing the cat ]
Recently, we here at RevSF did a podcast on the Wizard of Oz. This lead me to want to read the book again to see what I thought of it now that I was an adult.
Realistically, there are many children’s classics from the early 1900s that don’t stand up to the test of time. Instead they are snapshots of the time in which they are written. The Wizard of Oz may be the greatest classic written at this time. So it would be fair to think that it would be the greatest disappointment.
Not so.
This may have more to do with the genius that was L. Frank Baum. When Baum created his fantasy classic, it wasn’t like the other children’s books at the time. Due to this, he had problems get the book published. Why? He had, essentially, created a new genre, one that was inspired by fairy tales, but was not derived directly from them.
And because of this, the book holds up pretty well for the modern reader. It is definately not the gritty, romance fantasy that is so popular with modern teens. Instead, this is a gentle story with minor dangers that is perfect to read aloud to younger children. Stronger primary readers are safe in tackling this book alone. It would be perfect for curling up with your child on a cold winter’s night just before bed.
It will be joining an upcoming What to Read After Harry.