The Best Read-Aloud Book (So Far)
We’ve read a number of chapter books to Olive, but thanks to the recommendation of a friend I picked up a copy of The Wizard of Oz
I’ve always been a sucker for the movie, down to the ruby red slippers. As a kid, when it made the annual network appearance I would always try so hard to stay awake through the whole thing. The friend who recommended it said the book is WAY better than the movie, something I didn’t think was possible. But sure enough, it is better. You start the book thinking it’s not, but then, once you’ve gotten over some major differences (silver slippers?!) you realize that it is indeed way better.
One of the major differences is the absence of the Wicked Witch of the West as a pervasive threat. Sure, she’s a part of the book, but not the overarching nemesis that she is in the movie. Instead, the journey to Oz is met with a wide array of amazing creatures. Some are animals, like mice, tigers, a stork, and Kalidahs, beasts with bodies like bears and heads like tigers. Others are people: the munchkins, of course, but also the Winkies in the west, the Quadlings to the south, and the crazy Hammer-Heads, armless people that can shoot their heads off their bodies. The book is so much more about the perils of the various legs of the journey rather than the simplified good/evil story of the film. It engaged our whole family and sparked many a conversation about the book even when we weren’t reading it.
As with reading Shrek, I’m left thinking that I’d love to see a new film faithful to the book. I may just get my chance. Word is that there are up to four Oz films in the works in Hollywood. Fingers crossed for at least one good one!
