The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Dorothy lived on a Kansas farm with Aunt Em, Uncle Henry and her little dog, Toto. One day a cyclone roared across the fields. Before Dorothy could reach the storm cellar, the whole house rose into the air, with her and Toto inside.

When it landed, the gray fields were gone. Flowers bordered a shining road, and small people in bright clothes came to greet her. They explained that the fallen house had defeated the Wicked Witch of the East, who had ruled them cruelly.

The Good Witch of the North gave Dorothy the defeated witch’s silver shoes. “They have a special power, though I cannot tell you how it works,” she said. Dorothy wanted only to go home.

“Follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City,” the kind witch advised. “Perhaps the great Wizard of Oz can help.” Dorothy put on the shoes, called Toto and took her first step.

Beside a cornfield, a scarecrow winked at Dorothy. He was stuck on a pole, with straw poking through his sleeves. She helped him down, and he stretched his floppy arms with delight.

“I cannot even frighten the crows,” he said. “My head is full of straw. If I had brains, I would know what to do.” Dorothy told him about the Wizard, and he asked to come along.

As they walked, Dorothy explained why she missed Kansas. The Scarecrow listened carefully, even though he had never had a home of his own. Then he asked questions about farms, families and storms.

That evening, he noticed a sheltered cottage before Dorothy did. While she and Toto slept, he kept watch. He was certain he could not think, yet he had already found a useful way to help.

In a wood, they found a man made of tin, frozen beside a tree. “Oil,” he whispered through stiff lips. Dorothy found his oil can and carefully loosened his joints. At last he could speak and move.

“I wish I had a heart,” he told them. “Then I could be kind again.” Yet when a beetle crossed the path, he stopped so that he would not tread on it. He joined the journey to ask Oz for help.

Suddenly a Lion bounded out with a tremendous roar. Toto barked back. “You must not frighten someone so small,” Dorothy told the Lion. His great head drooped, and he apologized.

“I roar because I am afraid,” he admitted. “Perhaps Oz could give me courage.” The others made room on the road. Now four travelers and a little dog were going to the same city for very different reasons.

A deep gap cut across the forest path. Dorothy looked down, then stepped back. There was no bridge. “I think I can jump across,” said the Lion, “but my paws are shaking.”

The Scarecrow looked from one bank to the other. “Carry us one at a time,” he suggested. “Start with me. If the landing is difficult, I am only straw.” The Lion crouched, gathered himself and leaped.

The plan worked. He returned for Dorothy, who held Toto close, and then for the Tin Woodman. Each crossing took effort. On the far bank, the friends thanked him and rested beneath the trees.

“I was frightened every time,” the Lion confessed. “And you helped every time,” Dorothy replied. The Scarecrow had made a plan, and the Lion had put it into action. Neither seemed to notice what that meant.

Beyond the wood, a field of red poppies stretched toward the city. Their magical scent made Dorothy sleepy. Soon she and Toto were fast asleep. The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, who did not breathe, carried them into fresh air.

The Lion tried to follow, but fell asleep among the flowers. He was too heavy for his friends to lift. Nearby, the Tin Woodman gently freed a field mouse caught in a tangle of stems.

“I am the queen of the field mice,” she said. “How can we help you?” The Scarecrow suggested a cart. The Tin Woodman built one from wood, and the queen called her tiny subjects to bring strings.

Together, the mice pulled while the two friends helped the wheels turn. At last the cart rolled clear of the poppies. When the Lion woke, he could scarcely believe that such small neighbors had helped save him.

At the Emerald City, a guardian gave each traveler green spectacles. Through those lenses, the streets, windows and palace seemed to glow. Everything looked grand enough to belong to a mighty wizard.

In the great hall, a huge head appeared above a throne. A deep voice asked what they wanted. Dorothy asked for a way home; her companions asked for brains, a heart and courage.

“First, end the power of the Wicked Witch of the West,” the voice commanded. Dorothy was dismayed. “But we came because we needed help!” The head would promise nothing more.

Outside, they removed the spectacles. Some things looked much less green. The friends wondered about the Wizard, but they still needed answers. They set off westward, hoping to find a way to free the people under the Witch’s rule.

The Witch saw them coming and sent winged monkeys to capture them. The monkeys scattered the Scarecrow’s straw, dented the Tin Woodman and shut the Lion away. Dorothy and Toto were taken to the castle, where she was made to work.

The Witch wanted Dorothy’s silver shoes, but could not simply take them. One day she made Dorothy trip over an invisible bar and snatched away a shoe. “Give it back!” Dorothy cried.

In anger, Dorothy threw a bucket of water at her. To everyone’s surprise, the Witch began to melt. In that strange country, water undid her power. Soon only her empty clothes lay beside a puddle. Dorothy recovered the shoe.

The castle’s workers were free. They opened the Lion’s cage, repaired the Tin Woodman and filled the Scarecrow with fresh straw. The friends thanked their helpers. Together again, they returned to Oz to ask him to keep his promise.

Back in the palace, the great voice ordered them to wait. Toto tugged at a screen, and it slid aside. Behind it stood an ordinary little man, working levers and speaking through a trumpet.

“I am Oz,” he confessed. “A balloon carried me here. The people thought I was a wizard, and I let them believe it.” Dorothy frowned. “Then you frightened us and sent us into danger for a promise you could not keep.”

Oz admitted that he had been wrong. He gave the companions small tokens: bran for the Scarecrow’s head, a silk heart for the Tin Woodman and a drink he called courage. The gifts pleased them, but Dorothy remembered their earlier deeds. Those abilities had already been there.

Oz did have a plan for her: another balloon. But as it was about to leave, Toto ran after a cat. Dorothy hurried to fetch him; the rope came loose, and Oz rose into the sky without them. Her friends stayed beside her.

A palace guard suggested asking Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. After another long journey, the friends reached her garden. Dorothy told her everything, from the cyclone to the escaping balloon.

“Your silver shoes can carry you home,” Glinda explained. “Knock the heels together three times and tell them where you wish to go.” Dorothy stared down. She had worn them all this way, but had not known how to use them.

Before leaving, she hugged her companions. The Scarecrow was ready to help guide the Emerald City; the Tin Woodman had been invited to lead the people he had helped free; the Lion would make his home in the forest. They would miss her, but each now saw a future.

Dorothy held Toto, tapped her heels three times and wished for Kansas. A rushing wind carried her away. Then she was running toward Aunt Em across the farmyard. She had found her way home with the help of many others, and she would not forget them.