The Wizard of Oz Read online

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2012 by Daisy Alberto

  Cover illustration copyright © 2012 by Greg Call

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. This work is adapted from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow, originally published in the United States by George M. Hill Company, Chicago, in 1900.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  The Wizard of Oz / by L. Frank Baum; adapted by Daisy Alberto. — 1st ed.

  p. cm.

  “A Stepping Stone book.”

  eISBN: 978-0-375-98634-5

  [1. Fantasy.] I. Baum, L. Frank (Lyman Frank), 1856–1919. Wizard of Oz.

  II. Title.

  PZ7.A3217Wi 2012

  [Fic]—dc23 2011021801

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment

  and celebrates the right to read.

  v3.1

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  1. The Cyclone

  2. The Munchkins

  3. How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow

  4. The Rescue of the Tin Woodman

  5. The Cowardly Lion

  6. The Journey to the Great Oz

  7. The Guardian of the Gates

  8. The Wonderful City of Oz

  9. The Wicked Witch of the West

  10. The Rescue

  11. The Winged Monkeys

  12. The Discovery of Oz the Terrible

  13. The Truth

  14. How the Balloon Was Launched

  15. Away to the South

  16. The Good Witch Grants Dorothy’s Wish

  About the Author

  About the Illustrator

  CHAPTER ONE

  The Cyclone

  Dorothy lived in Kansas with her uncle Henry and aunt Em. Their house stood in the middle of the great gray prairie. The house had been painted once, but the paint had faded. Now it was gray, too. Even Aunt Em and Uncle Henry were gray.

  Toto was not gray. He was a little black dog. It was Toto who made Dorothy laugh and saved her from growing as gray as everything around her. He had black eyes that twinkled merrily. Toto played all day long, and Dorothy loved him dearly.

  Today, however, Toto and Dorothy were not playing. Uncle Henry sat on the doorstep. He looked at the sky. It was even grayer than usual.

  Dorothy stood in the doorway with Toto. She looked at the sky, too.

  The wind wailed. Suddenly, Uncle Henry stood up.

  “There’s a cyclone coming, Em!” he called. He ran toward the sheds where the cows and horses were kept.

  Aunt Em dropped what she was doing. “Quick, Dorothy!” she screamed. “Run for the cellar!”

  Aunt Em threw open the trapdoor in the floor of the house. She climbed down the ladder.

  Dorothy caught Toto, who had jumped out of her arms. She started for the trapdoor.

  The wind shrieked! The house shook!

  Then a strange thing happened.

  The house whirled around. It rose through the air! Dorothy felt as if she were going up in a balloon. The wind lifted the house higher and higher.

  Toto did not like it at all! He ran about the room, barking. When he got too near the open trapdoor, Dorothy dragged him away.

  Dorothy wondered if she would be smashed to pieces. She crawled into her bed. Toto lay down beside her. Dorothy closed her eyes and fell fast asleep in the whirling house.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The Munchkins

  When Dorothy woke, the house was not moving. She ran and opened the front door.

  There were patches of green grass and bright flowers all about! Birds sang in the bushes. A group of people was coming toward her. Three were men and one was an old woman. They were not as big as the grown-ups she was used to. In fact, they were about as tall as Dorothy herself.

  The men were dressed in blue. The woman was wearing a white gown. It was sprinkled with little stars that glittered like diamonds. She walked up to Dorothy and bowed. “Welcome, most noble Sorceress, to the Land of the Munchkins,” she said. “We are so grateful to you for having killed the Wicked Witch of the East.”

  “There must be some mistake,” Dorothy said. “I have not killed anything.”

  “But your house did,” replied the woman.

  Dorothy looked. Two feet with silver shoes on them were sticking out from under the house!

  “Oh, dear!” cried Dorothy. “The house must have fallen on her! Who was she?”

  “The Wicked Witch of the East, as I said,” the woman answered. “She has held the Munchkins in slavery for years. Now they are free.”

  “Are you a Munchkin?” asked Dorothy.

  “No. I am their friend. I am the Witch of the North.”

  “Gracious!” cried Dorothy. “Are you a real witch?”

  “Yes,” answered the little woman. “But I am a good witch.”

  “I thought all witches were wicked,” said Dorothy.

  “Oh, no,” said the Good Witch. “There were four witches in the Land of Oz. Two of them, those who live in the North and the South, are good witches. Those who lived in the East and the West were, indeed, wicked witches. But now that you have killed one of them, there is but one Wicked Witch in the Land of Oz. The one who lives in the West.”

  “But,” said Dorothy, “Aunt Em told me that the witches were all dead.”

  “In the civilized countries, I believe there are no witches left,” said the Good Witch. “But the Land of Oz has never been civilized.”

  Just then the Munchkins all pointed to the bottom of the house.

  The feet had disappeared. Nothing was left but the silver shoes.

  “That is the end of her,” explained the Witch of the North. “The shoes are yours.” She picked up the silver shoes and handed them to Dorothy.

  Dorothy carried the shoes into the house. Then she came out again and said, “I am anxious to get back to my aunt and uncle. Can you help me find my way?”

  The Munchkins and the Witch shook their heads.

  “A great desert surrounds this Land of Oz,” explained the Good Witch. “None can cross it.”

  She balanced her cap on the end of her nose. “You could go to the City of Emeralds,” said the Good Witch. “Perhaps Oz, the Great Wizard, will help you.”

  “Where is this city?” asked Dorothy.

  “It is in the center of the Land of Oz,” said the Good Witch. “It is ruled by the Wizard.”

  “Won’t you go with me?” pleaded Dorothy.

  “No, I cannot,” replied the Good Witch. “But I will give you my kiss. And no one will dare hurt a person who has been kissed by the Witch of the North.” With that, she kissed Dorothy on the forehead. Her lips left a shining mark.

  “The road to the City of Emeralds is paved with yellow brick,” said the Witch. “You cannot miss it. Good-bye, my dear.”

  The three Munchkins bowed low and walked away. The Witch gave Dorothy a friendly nod. Then she whirled around three times and disappeared.

  Toto wa
s surprised. But Dorothy, knowing her to be a witch, was not surprised in the least.

  CHAPTER THREE

  How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow

  Dorothy went back into the house to get ready for her journey.

  She had only one other dress. It was made of gingham, with white and blue checks. She changed into it, then took a basket and filled it with bread from the cupboard.

  Dorothy spotted the silver shoes that had belonged to the Witch of the East. She took off her old shoes and tried on the silver ones. They fit as if they had been made for her.

  Dorothy put the basket over her arm. “Come along, Toto,” she said. “We will go to the Emerald City and ask the Great Oz how to get back to Kansas!”

  It did not take her long to find the road paved with yellow bricks that led toward the Emerald City.

  As she and Toto walked along, Dorothy was surprised to see how pretty the country was. There were neat fences at the sides of the road, painted blue. Beyond them were fields of grain.

  When they had gone several miles, Dorothy climbed to the top of a fence to rest. In the field beside the fence was a scarecrow.

  “Good day,” said the Scarecrow.

  “Did you speak?” Dorothy asked in wonder.

  “Certainly,” answered the Scarecrow. “How do you do?”

  “I’m pretty well, thank you,” replied Dorothy politely. “How do you do?”

  “I’m not feeling well,” said the Scarecrow. “It is very tiresome being perched up here night and day.”

  “Can’t you get down?” asked Dorothy.

  “No. This pole is stuck up my back,” said the Scarecrow. “If you will please take away the pole, I shall be greatly obliged.”

  Dorothy walked into the field. She lifted the Scarecrow off the pole. Since he was stuffed with straw, he was quite light.

  “Thank you,” said the Scarecrow. “Who are you? And where are you going?”

  “My name is Dorothy,” she said. “I am going to the Emerald City, to ask the Great Oz to send me back to Kansas.”

  “Where is the Emerald City?” he asked. “And who is Oz?”

  “Don’t you know?” Dorothy said in surprise.

  “No. I don’t know anything,” the Scarecrow answered sadly. “I am stuffed, so I have no brains.”

  “Oh,” said Dorothy, “I’m awfully sorry.”

  “Do you think,” the Scarecrow asked, “that if I go with you, Oz would give me some brains?”

  “I cannot tell,” Dorothy said. “But I’ll ask Oz to do all he can for you.”

  “Thank you,” answered the Scarecrow gratefully.

  The Scarecrow and Dorothy walked back to the road. Dorothy helped the Scarecrow over the fence. Then they started along the yellow brick road together with Toto.

  At noon they sat down by the roadside. Dorothy opened her basket. She offered a piece of bread to the Scarecrow, but he shook his head.

  “I am never hungry,” he said. “And it is lucky I am not, for my mouth is only painted on.”

  When Dorothy had finished her lunch, the Scarecrow said, “Tell me something about the country you came from.”

  So Dorothy told him all about Kansas. She told him how gray everything was, and how the cyclone had carried her to this strange land.

  The Scarecrow listened carefully. “I cannot understand why you should wish to go back to the gray place you call Kansas.”

  “That is because you have no brains,” Dorothy answered. “No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, people would rather live there than in any other place. There is no place like home.”

  The Scarecrow sighed.

  “Won’t you tell me a story while we are resting?” Dorothy asked.

  “My life has been so short that I really know nothing,” said the Scarecrow. “I was only made the day before yesterday. Luckily, when the farmer made my head, one of the first things he did was to paint my ears, so that I heard what was going on.

  “ ‘Now I’ll make the eyes,’ said the farmer. So he painted my eyes. Then he made my nose and my mouth. I watched him make my body and my arms and legs. And when he fastened on my head, I felt very proud.

  “ ‘This fellow will scare the crows,’ said the farmer. He carried me to the cornfield and set me up on a tall stick. Then he walked away.

  “I tried to walk after him. But my feet would not touch the ground. It is a lonely life to be a scarecrow. By and by, an old crow flew near.

  “ ‘I wonder if that farmer thought to fool me,’ said the crow. ‘Any crow could see that you are stuffed with straw.’ Then he hopped down at my feet and ate all the corn he wanted.

  “I felt sad, for I was not such a good scarecrow after all. But the old crow said, ‘If you only had brains in your head, you would be as good a man as any of them.’

  “After the crow had gone, I decided I would try hard to get some brains. By good luck, you came along. And from what you say, I am sure the Great Oz will give me brains as soon as we get to the Emerald City.”

  “I hope so,” said Dorothy. “Let us go.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The Rescue of the Tin Woodman

  Toward evening they came to a great forest. The trees grew big and close together.

  “I see a little cottage,” the Scarecrow said. “Shall we go there?”

  “Yes, indeed,” Dorothy answered.

  So the Scarecrow led the way through the trees to the cottage. Inside, Dorothy found a bed of dried leaves. She lay down and, with Toto beside her, soon fell asleep.

  When Dorothy awoke, the sun was shining. She sat up and looked around. There was the Scarecrow, standing in a corner, waiting for her.

  Dorothy, Toto, and the Scarecrow left the cottage and walked through the trees. Soon they found a spring of water. There, Dorothy drank and ate her breakfast. Suddenly, a groan came from nearby.

  Dorothy and the Scarecrow turned. Dorothy gave a cry of surprise!

  One of the big trees had been partly chopped through. Standing beside it was a man made entirely of tin. He held up an ax and stood perfectly still.

  Toto barked and ran to snap at the tin legs.

  “Did you groan?” asked Dorothy.

  “Yes,” answered the tin man. “I’ve been groaning for more than a year. No one has heard me before.”

  “What can I do for you?” asked Dorothy.

  “Oil my joints,” answered the tin man. “They are rusted so badly that I cannot move. You will find an oilcan on a shelf in my cottage.”

  Dorothy ran back to the cottage. She found the oilcan and returned.

  “Oil my neck first,” said the Tin Woodman. So she oiled it.

  “Now oil the joints in my arms,” he said. Dorothy oiled them, too.

  The Tin Woodman gave a sigh. He lowered his ax and leaned it against the tree. “That is a great comfort,” he said. “I have been holding that ax up ever since I rusted. Now, if you will oil the joints of my legs, I shall be all right.”

  So Dorothy oiled his legs until the tin man could move freely. He thanked Dorothy and the Scarecrow. “You have saved my life. How did you happen to be here?”

  “We are on our way to the Emerald City to see the Great Oz,” answered Dorothy.

  “Why do you wish to see Oz?” the Tin Woodman asked.

  “I want him to send me back to Kansas. And the Scarecrow wants him to put brains into his head,” Dorothy replied.

  The Tin Woodman thought for a moment. “Do you suppose Oz could give me a heart?”

  “Why, I guess so,” Dorothy answered.

  “Come along,” said the Scarecrow.

  So the Tin Woodman shouldered his ax. Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman walked through the forest.

  When they came to the yellow brick road, the Scarecrow stumbled into a hole.

  “Why didn’t you walk around the hole?” asked the Tin Woodman.

  “I don’t know enough,” replied the Scarecrow. “My head is stuffed with straw. That is why I am goin
g to ask Oz for some brains.”

  “Oh, I see,” said the Tin Woodman. “But brains are not the best things in the world. I would much rather have a heart.”

  “Why is that?” asked the Scarecrow.

  While they walked, the Tin Woodman told his story.

  “I was born the son of a woodman,” said the tin man. “When I grew up, I, too, became a woodchopper.

  “There was a Munchkin girl I loved with all my heart. She promised to marry me as soon as I built a house for her. But the girl lived with an old woman who did not want her to marry, since the girl did her housework. So the old woman went to the Wicked Witch of the East, who enchanted my ax. When I was chopping wood one day, the ax slipped and cut off my leg.

  “I went to a tinsmith and had him make me a new leg out of tin. The leg worked very well. But when I began chopping again, my ax slipped and cut off my other leg! Again I went to the tinsmith, who made me a leg out of tin. After this the enchanted ax cut off my arms. I had them replaced with tin ones. The Wicked Witch then made the ax cut off my head. But the tinsmith even made me a new head of tin.

  “I thought I had beaten the Wicked Witch. I worked harder than ever. But she made my ax slip again. This time it cut right through my body. The tinsmith made me a body of tin. But, alas! I had no heart. I lost all my love for the girl. I did not care whether I married her or not.

  “Finally, there came a day when I was caught in a rainstorm, my joints rusted, and I was left to stand in the woods.

  “It was terrible, but during the year I stood there, I had time to think. I decided that the greatest loss I had known was the loss of my heart. While I was in love, I was the happiest man on earth. But no one can love who doesn’t have a heart. So I will ask Oz to give me one.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The Cowardly Lion

  All this time Dorothy and her companions had been walking through the thick woods.

  Suddenly, there came a terrible roar, and a great lion bounded into the road! With one blow of his paw, the Lion sent the Scarecrow spinning to the edge of the road.