Module 12: The Road to Oz by Kathleen Krull and Kevin Hawkes (SLIS 5420 review)

Summary: This charming biography of L. Frank Baum tells readers about the various careers and circumstances that lead Baum to write the classic children’s book The Wizard of Oz.

Citation: Krull, K., & Hawkes, K. (2008). The road to Oz: twists, turns, bumps, and triumphs in the life of L. Frank Baum. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Impression: The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite books, but I never knew much about the man behind the book. After reading The Road to Oz, I know more about Baum’s story, and it makes me like his work even more. I thought The Road to Oz was captivating because Krull includes so many interesting details about Baum and his various careers— actor, chicken breeder, newspaper editor, and window decorator, just to name a few. She doesn’t skip over the more difficult parts of his life, such as how he was cheated out of some of his money by various business partners. I think this sends a positive message to young readers that they should keep pursuing their dreams and happiness, and not get discouraged by failures. Hawkes’ illustrations are a good match for Krull’s bright, cheerful text.

Review:
Publisher’s Weekly:
With customary vivacity and a fine sense of irony, Krull portrays her subject as a genial family man who suffered reverse after reverse thanks to a bad combination of deep-seated optimism and zero business sense--but pulled through when his love of storytelling and sense of audience at last led to a novel that instantly became (she notes) the Harry Potter of its day. She does mention Baum's anti-American Indian screeds, but in general tells a brisk, admiring tale that mirrors the tone of his talespinning--aptly illustrated by Hawkes's scenes of a frail, dapper looking gent, generally sporting a smile beneath a bushy mustache and gazing abstractedly into the distance. An admirable companion to Krull's Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up To Become Dr. Seuss (2004), this profile not only provides a similarly illuminating peek beneath the authorial curtain, but leaves readers understanding just how groundbreaking The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was, as an adventure story with both a female protagonist and no overwhelming Moral Lesson.

(2008, August). [Review of the book The Road to Oz, by K. Krull and K. Hawkes]. Kirkus Reviews, 76(15), 230. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/

Use in library: A library could use this book as part of a Wizard of Oz program. The librarian would read excerpts from this book and/or The Wizard of Oz, and other books on Baum and Oz would be out on display. Patrons would make a Wizard of Oz-related craft and watch the movie.