The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (short books for teens .TXT) π
Description
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the classic American childrenβs novel about the adventures of Dorothy, a young girl who along with her dog Toto is swept away by a cyclone to the magical Land of Oz. It was written by L. Frank Baum and published in May 1900.
Dorothy lives with her Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, and Toto on a farm in the Kansas prairie. One day, Dorothy and Toto are caught up in a cyclone that deposits her farmhouse into Munchkin Country in the magical Land of Oz. The falling house has killed the Wicked Witch of the East, the evil ruler of the Munchkins. The Good Witch of the North arrives with three grateful Munchkins and gives Dorothy the magical Silver Shoes that once belonged to the Wicked Witch. The Good Witch tells Dorothy that the only way she can return home is to go to the Emerald City and ask the great and powerful Wizard of Oz to help her.
The Library of Congress has declared it βAmericaβs greatest and best-loved homegrown fairy-tale.β Its groundbreaking success and the success of the Broadway musical adaptation led Baum to write thirteen additional Oz books which serve as sequels to the first story. The 1939 film musical adaptation starring Judy Garland is considered by many to be one of the greatest films in cinema history.
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- Author: L. Frank Baum
Read book online Β«The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (short books for teens .TXT) πΒ». Author - L. Frank Baum
βWhy do you want water?β he asked.
βTo wash my face clean after the dust of the road, and to drink, so the dry bread will not stick in my throat.β
βIt must be inconvenient to be made of flesh,β said the Scarecrow thoughtfully, βfor you must sleep, and eat and drink. However, you have brains, and it is worth a lot of bother to be able to think properly.β
They left the cottage and walked through the trees until they found a little spring of clear water, where Dorothy drank and bathed and ate her breakfast. She saw there was not much bread left in the basket, and the girl was thankful the Scarecrow did not have to eat anything, for there was scarcely enough for herself and Toto for the day.
When she had finished her meal, and was about to go back to the road of yellow brick, she was startled to hear a deep groan near by.
βWhat was that?β she asked timidly.
βI cannot imagine,β replied the Scarecrow; βbut we can go and see.β
Just then another groan reached their ears, and the sound seemed to come from behind them. They turned and walked through the forest a few steps, when Dorothy discovered something shining in a ray of sunshine that fell between the trees. She ran to the place and then stopped short, with a little cry of surprise.
One of the big trees had been partly chopped through, and standing beside it, with an uplifted axe in his hands, was a man made entirely of tin. His head and arms and legs were jointed upon his body, but he stood perfectly motionless, as if he could not stir at all.
Dorothy looked at him in amazement, and so did the Scarecrow, while Toto barked sharply and made a snap at the tin legs, which hurt his teeth.
βDid you groan?β asked Dorothy.
βYes,β answered the tin man, βI did. Iβve been groaning for more than a year, and no one has ever heard me before or come to help me.β
βWhat can I do for you?β she inquired softly, for she was moved by the sad voice in which the man spoke.
βGet an oilcan and oil my joints,β he answered. βThey are rusted so badly that I cannot move them at all; if I am well oiled I shall soon be all right again. You will find an oilcan on a shelf in my cottage.β
Dorothy at once ran back to the cottage and found the oilcan, and then she returned and asked anxiously, βWhere are your joints?β
βOil my neck, first,β replied the Tin Woodman. So she oiled it, and as it was quite badly rusted the Scarecrow took hold of the tin head and moved it gently from side to side until it worked freely, and then the man could turn it himself.
βNow oil the joints in my arms,β he said. And Dorothy oiled them and the Scarecrow bent them carefully until they were quite free from rust and as good as new.
The Tin Woodman gave a sigh of satisfaction and lowered his axe, which he leaned against the tree.
βThis is a great comfort,β he said. βI have been holding that axe in the air ever since I rusted, and Iβm glad to be able to put it down at last. Now, if you will oil the joints of my legs, I shall be all right once more.β
So they oiled his legs until he could move them freely; and he thanked them again and again for his release, for he seemed a very polite creature, and very grateful.
βI might have stood there always if you had not come along,β he said; βso you have certainly saved my life. How did you happen to be here?β
βWe are on our way to the Emerald City to see the Great Oz,β she answered, βand we stopped at your cottage to pass the night.β
βWhy do you wish to see Oz?β he asked.
βI want him to send me back to Kansas, and the Scarecrow wants him to put a few brains into his head,β she replied.
The Tin Woodman appeared to think deeply for a moment. Then he said:
βDo you suppose Oz could give me a heart?β
βWhy, I guess so,β Dorothy answered. βIt would be as easy as to give the Scarecrow brains.β
βTrue,β the Tin Woodman returned. βSo, if you will allow me to join your party, I will also go to the Emerald City and ask Oz to help me.β
βCome along,β said the Scarecrow heartily, and Dorothy added that she would be pleased to have his company. So the Tin Woodman shouldered his axe and they all passed through the forest until they came to the road that was paved with yellow brick.
The Tin Woodman had asked Dorothy to put the oilcan in her basket. βFor,β he said, βif I should get caught in the rain, and rust again, I would need the oilcan badly.β
It was a bit of good luck to have their new comrade join the party, for soon after they had begun their journey again they came to a place where the trees and branches grew so thick over the road that the travelers could not pass. But the Tin Woodman set to work with his axe and chopped so well that soon he cleared a passage for the entire party.
Dorothy was thinking so earnestly as they walked along that she did not notice when the Scarecrow stumbled into a hole and rolled over to the side of the road. Indeed he was obliged to call to her to help him up again.
βWhy didnβt you walk around the hole?β asked the Tin Woodman.
βI donβt know enough,β replied the Scarecrow cheerfully. βMy head is stuffed with straw, you know, and that is why I am going to Oz to ask him for some brains.β
βOh, I see,β said the Tin Woodman. βBut, after all, brains are not the best things in the world.β
βHave you any?β inquired the Scarecrow.
βNo, my head is quite empty,β answered the Woodman. βBut once
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