BEFORE YOU READ
1Read about L. Frank Baum. What did his father build him in 1880?
His father built him .
2Read the background to the story. Where does the storm blow Dorothy's house?
The storm blows Dorothy's house to .
About the author
Lyman Frank Baum (always called Frank)
Born: 1856 in Chittenango, New York
Died: 1919 in Hollywood, California
Important works: Mother Goose in Prose (1897), Father Goose, His Book (1899), The Wizard of Oz (1900)
Did you know? L. Frank Baum was an actor and a writer. When he was a child he didn't like his first name, Lyman. He always used his middle name, Frank. He had a bad heart, so he didn't go to school. A tutor taught him at home. Baum liked reading, writing, selling fireworks and keeping chickens. He also loved the theatre. His parents were very rich and his father built him a theatre in 1880. Baum was an actor, until he married Maud Gage in 1882. They had four sons, and every evening he invented stories for them. In 1897, he wrote his first children's book. He worked with a friend, W.W.Denslow, who was an artist and did the illustrations for Baum's books. In 1900, they published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, now usually called The Wizard of Oz.
It was a great success and Baum became famous. He published many other books about Oz and in 1911 he moved to Hollywood. Baum wasn't a good businessman and he lost all his money, but he wrote one new book about Oz every year. After Baum died, MGM made a film of The Wizard of Oz. Judy Garland played the part of Dorothy.
BACKGROUND TO THE STORY
The story begins with a terrible storm. It blows Dorothy's house away, with Dorothy and Toto her dog inside, to a country called Oz. When the house lands, it kills the Wicked Witch of the East.
The Good Witch of the North arrives. She gives Dorothy a pair of red shoes and a kiss. They can protect her.
The great Wizard of Oz lives in the Emerald City. Only he can send Dorothy back to Kansas. On her journey Dorothy meets a scarecrow and a tin man. They both need help from the Wizard, so they join Dorothy.
runs out of the trees.
So they all walked along the yellow brick road. There were many tall trees next to the road, and sometimes the three friends heard noises from animals behind the trees. Dorothy did not like these noises very much.
'How far is it to the Emerald City?' she asked the Tin Man. 'Do you know?'
'It's a long way, I think,' said the Tin Man. 'And we must be careful because—'
But just then a big lion suddenly ran out from the trees, into the road. It opened its mouth – it had long yellow teeth – and began to run after Toto.
Dorothy was afraid for Toto. She ran up to the lion and hit it on the nose with her bag. 'Don't hurt my dog!' she cried angrily. 'He's smaller than you!'
'I didn't hurt him,' said the Lion. 'Don't hit me again – please!'
'Why – you're afraid!' said Dorothy. 'Be quiet, Toto, he isn't going to hurt you. He's more afraid than you are. He's just a big coward.'
'It's true,' said the Lion. 'I am a coward. Everyone thinks lions are brave. I make a lot of noise, but I'm not brave. I'm just a coward.' And the Cowardly Lion began to cry.
Then Dorothy told him about the Wizard of Oz. 'Come with us to the Emerald City,' she said. 'I want to go back to Kansas, the Scarecrow wants some brains, and the Tin Man wants a heart. Perhaps the Wizard of Oz can make you brave.
'Oh, thank you!' said the Lion. 'I would very much like to be brave.'
And so the Cowardly Lion came with them. At first Toto was afraid of him, but very soon he and the Lion were good friends.
That night Dorothy and Toto slept under a big tree, next to the Cowardly Lion's big, warm body. In the morning they ate the last of their bread.
So they all walked along the yellow brick road. There were many tall trees next to the road, and sometimes the three friends heard noises from animals behind the trees. Dorothy did not like these noises very much.
'How far is it to the Emerald City?' she asked the Tin Man. 'Do you know?'
'It's a long way, I think,' said the Tin Man. 'And we must be careful because—'
But just then a big lion suddenly ran out from the trees, into the road. It opened its mouth – it had long yellow teeth – and began to run after Toto.
Dorothy was afraid for Toto. She ran up to the lion and hit it on the nose with her bag. 'Don't hurt my dog!' she cried angrily. 'He's smaller than you!'
'I didn't hurt him,' said the Lion. 'Don't hit me again – please!'
'Why – you're afraid!' said Dorothy. 'Be quiet, Toto, he isn't going to hurt you. He's more afraid than you are. He's just a big coward.'
'It's true,' said the Lion. 'I am a coward. Everyone thinks lions are brave. I make a lot of noise, but I'm not brave. I'm just a coward.' And the Cowardly Lion began to cry.
Then Dorothy told him about the Wizard of Oz. 'Come with us to the Emerald City,' she said. 'I want to go back to Kansas, the Scarecrow wants some brains, and the Tin Man wants a heart. Perhaps the Wizard of Oz can make you brave.
'Oh, thank you!' said the Lion. 'I would very much like to be brave.'
And so the Cowardly Lion came with them. At first Toto was afraid of him, but very soon he and the Lion were good friends.
That night Dorothy and Toto slept under a big tree, next to the Cowardly Lion's big, warm body. In the morning they ate the last of their bread.
aThe Emerald City is far away.
bThe Lion says that he's a coward.
cDorothy, Toto and the Lion sleep under a big tree.
dThe Lion and Toto become good friends.
eDorothy hits the Lion on the nose with her bag.
fThey can hear noises in the trees.
gA lion chases Toto.
hDorothy tells the Lion about the Wizard of Oz.
- Why does Dorothy not like the noises which came from the trees?
- Think of three adjectives which describe the lion.
- What do they all want to ask the Wizard of Oz for?
READ ON
When Dorothy and her friends reach the Emerald City they meet the great Wizard. He can help them but first he wants them to kill the Wicked Witch of the West. Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion leave the Emerald City. They walk to where the Witch of the West lives. But the Witch has a magic eye. She can see the friends on the road and she becomes very angry. She calls her magic monkeys. She asks them to kill the people and the dog and bring the lion to her. The monkeys leave, but when they find Dorothy, they can't kill her. The kiss from the Good Witch of the North protects Dorothy and Toto. The monkeys take the straw out of the Scarecrow, they break the Tin Man and they put the Lion in the cellar. They carry Dorothy and Toto to the Witch's house.
She wants .
1 didn't know the red shoes were magic.
2 only took off the red shoes to wash.
3 was afraid of water.
4 lost a shoe.
5 took one of the red shoes.
6 got angry.
7 threw water.
8 disappeared.
9 put the Witch's black hat on.
10 called for the magic monkeys.
- Do you think that the Wizard can help Dorothy and her friends? How?
- Imagine that you have a pair of magic shoes. What wish do you make?
- where you went
- what happened
- who you met
- how you got home