Audiobook · read by volunteers
Little Wizard Stories of Oz
L. Frank Baum (1856–1919)
Read by Maddie · 6 chapters · 1 h 12
About the book
Six little tales from the Land of Oz, told by the man who invented it. Baum had meant to leave Oz behind after The Emerald City of Oz, but his young readers, those “little tyrants” as he fondly called them, kept asking for more. These stories, written in 1913, are the result: short adventures starring the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger, Little Dorothy and Toto, Tik-Tok and the Nome King, Ozma and the Little Wizard, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse, and more. Each tale runs for around ten or fifteen minutes, which makes the collection ideal for bedtime or for a short car journey. The tone is playful, the characters are old friends, and the invention never flags for a moment. About an hour and a quarter of pure Oz-flavoured delight.
Introduction
L. Frank Baum, who lived from 1856 to 1919, is best known as the creator of the Land of Oz. The Little Wizard Stories of Oz are six short stories written by him in 1913. By all accounts, Baum intended to finish the Oz series with The Emerald City of Oz, published in 1910. After that he attempted to write non-Oz books, publishing The Sea Fairies in 1911 and Sky Island in 1912. But, as Baum himself laments in the prefaces of many of his Oz books, his little tyrants were only interested in hearing more Oz stories, and he returned to the land he had made.
The stories in this volume are brief and designed for younger listeners. They revolve around well-loved figures: the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger, Little Dorothy and Toto, Tik-Tok and the Nome King, Ozma and the Little Wizard, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse, and the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman. Because each tale stands alone, you can hear them in any order and in short sittings.
The recording is divided into six sections, one for each story, and lasts about an hour and ten minutes. The pace is relaxed, the language simple and the humour gentle.
LibriVox volunteers recorded these tales for free listening. They are a useful starting point for children who have not yet tried the longer Oz novels, and a pleasant treat for adults who remember them fondly. If you like fairy tales in which kindness and cleverness matter more than force, this small collection is a good place to spend an evening.
Public domain
L. Frank Baum died in 1919: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text