The Wizard of Oz: The Graphic Novel

The Wizard of Oz: The Graphic Novel
Adapted by Michael Cavallaro
Byron Preiss Visual Publications, 2005

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy

Honors:

• Book Links 05/01/08
• Kirkus Reviews 07/15/05
• School Library Journal 11/01/05
• Wilson's Children 10/01/10

Review: Blending traditional cartoon sketching with state-of-the-art digital graphic technology, Cavallaro takes readers on a visual path through the story of the Wizard of Oz, staying as close to the original story as possible. His only real spin on Baum's classic is to modernize the image of Dorothy, her hometown in Kansas, and the land and people of Oz. For those who are unfamiliar with the story, Dorothy is an orphan who goes to live with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on their farm in Kansas. Everything about her world is gray, and yet Dorothy finds happiness in her pet dog, Toto. Then one day, a cyclone whips through the farm, and Dorothy is too late to join her aunt and uncle in their cyclone hole underneath the house. She and the house, along with Toto, are swept away to a magical land where there are small people named Munchkins, good witches and bad witches, a talking scarecrow, and a mysterious and powerful wizard. The Wonder Wizard of Oz may be the only person who can help Dorothy return to Kansas, but she will have to go on a dangerous journey to reach his beautiful Emerald City, and there is one enemy in the land who would like more than anything to get to Dorothy before she reaches her destination.

Opinion: This was a neat find. This new version of Dorothy and her friends in Oz has a very urban feel to it, and it is easy to identify with the story through Cavallaro's angular and lively drawings. I can see tweens up to age thirteen liking this book and others like it.

Ideas: The Wizard of Oz definitely has a cult following. There are a number of ways to celebrate the original series by L. Frank Baum: the library could hold an Oz Festival, have oz-based story-times, an oz character dress-up event, and several displays, including one showcasing the many adaptations and spin-offs created since the popularity of Oz rose.