The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Name: Lyman Frank Baum Born: 15 May 1856, in Chittenago, New York First book: Father Goose (1899) Most famous book: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) Other books: The Oz Series (13 books) and many other books for children Travels: Europe and Egypt Dies: 6 May 1919, in Hollywood, California

Dorothy lives in a small gray house in Kansas with her Uncle Henry, Aunt Em and little dog, Toto. Everything in Kansas is gray. There are no trees or flowers, but there are cyclones. Cyclones are very strong winds. They can sometimes blow1 people and houses away. One day Uncle Henry looks at the gray sky. He says, “A cyclone is coming! We must go to the cellar!”2 “Come with us quickly, Dorothy!” says Aunt Em. [...]

The Scarecrow

Sometimes very big storms1 become cyclones. Strong winds blow in opposite directions and make a shape like a funnel.2 When this powerful “funnel” touches the earth,3 it can blow everything away: people, animals and even cars and houses! In the United States there are approximately 1,000 reports of cyclones every year. But not all of these are dangerous. In fact, only about ten to twenty are violent. [...]

The Tin Woodman and the Lion

The four friends walk all day. In the evening they see some little green houses and some little people in green clothes. “Everything’s green,” says Dorothy. “We’re near the Emerald City.” Soon they come to a big green door. It opens slowly, and they see a little man in green clothes and green glasses. “We want to see the Wizard of Oz, please,” says Dorothy. “OK. Follow me,” says the little man. “But first put these on. [...]

Dorothy wants to go home to Kansas. This state is in the middle of the United States. It is very flat and there are a lot of farms. Here is some more information about Kansas. Capital city: Topeka Size: 81,815 square miles1 Nickname:2 the Sunflower State Population: about 2,700,000 people miles: 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers. nickname: an informal name. You can use this name instead of the real name. [...]

Project on the web (I)

The Witch blows her silver whistle and forty Winged1 Monkeys quickly arrive. “What do you want?” the King of the Winged Monkeys asks. “There are three people, a dog and a lion on my road,” she says. “Go and kill the people and the dog. But bring me the lion. He is big and strong. He can work for me.” “Yes, immediately!” say the Winged Monkeys, and they fly away. They quickly reach the road, and see the four friends and the dog. [...]

Back to the Emerald City

Promises

The Good Witch of the South

Date: 1939 Director: Victor Fleming. Victor Fleming is also the director of Gone with the Wind. Actors: Judy Garland as Dorothy Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow Bert Lahr as the Lion Jack Haley as the Tin Woodman Famous songs: “Somewhere over the Rainbow” “Follow the Yellow Brick Road ” “We’re off to see the Wizard” Special information: The first scenes and last scenes (when Dorothy is in Kansas) are in black and white. [...]

Project on the web (II)

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