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Title details for The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum - Wait list

The Wizard of Oz

by L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Audiobook
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0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 4 weeks
Maureen Lipman and Patrick Barlow star in a full-cast dramatisation of the classic children's tale. When Dorothy and her dog, Toto, are whisked away from Kansas by a cyclone, they arrive in the strange land of the Munchkins. Setting off on a magical journey, they are befriended by the Tinman, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, all of whom join Dorothy's quest to find the wonderful Wizard of Oz. Barbara Barnes, Philip Franks, Patrick Barlow, Bradley Lavelle and Kerry Shale also star in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation. The wonder and excitement of L Frank Baum's unforgettable story live on in this full-cast dramatisation, complete with evocative music and sound effects.

  • Creators

  • Series

    BBC Children's Classics

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    August 7, 2006

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781405679626
      • File size: 59105 KB
      • Duration: 02:03:08

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 1000
    • Text Difficulty: 5-7

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This BBC Radio dramatization of Baum's classic takes listeners back to the days when families gathered around the old Philco and listened to talented vocal artists. Maureen Lipman rightfully gets top billing for her deliciously evil Wicked Witch of the West. You hear her churlish grin in every cackle as she plots to outwit that "goody-goody" Belinda and "her wimpish friends." Baum's irony is brought to life by the "brainless" Scarecrow's clever problem-solving, the "heartless" Tin Man's compassion, and the "cowardly" Lion's bravery. One minor complaint . . . although the story is truer to the book than the movie, the illustrated cover shows ruby slippers instead of silver. N.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 25, 1999
      Viennese illustrator and Hans Christian Andersen Medalist Lisbeth Zwerger takes a fresh look at L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz in a large-format edition. Zwerger's fantastical, delicate, eccentric illustrations bear no resemblance to the vision of the movie; they make the classic tale new again. And readers can view the Emerald City through a pair of green-tinted glasses, provided in the back of the book.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 29, 2012
      Caldwell’s angular, dynamic artwork leans more toward Saturday-morning cartoons than romantic fantasy in the fourth comics adaptation in his All-Action Classics series. His Dorothy is gap-toothed and freckled; the black-eyed and troll-like Munchkins are truly alien; and the witches recall Disney villainesses like Snow White’s Queen or The Little Mermaid’s Ursula. (Caldwell’s Wicked Witch of the West even speaks with a Western twang: “You and yer little furry thing have back-breaking, bone-crunching work to do!”) Caldwell follows Baum’s original novel rather than the iconic film. The heroes are pursued by the Kalidah, “horrific beasts, with heads like tigers and bodies like bears,” and the famous path the four friends follow, as in the original, is called the “road of golden bricks.” The humor, though, is his own. “She enslaved and tormented us!” says one Munchkin about the Wicked Witch of the East. “She despoiled our lands!” says a second. “And cut library funding!” adds a third. Caldwell’s Wizard of Oz slots conveniently between Spongebob Squarepants and Adventure Time, and readers will fly through this story with the speed of winged monkeys. Ages 10–14. (Nov.)■

    • AudioFile Magazine
      THE WIZARD OF OZ is a bleaker and more frightening book than the movie that was made from it. So children (and their adults) who expect Dorothy to burst into cheery song should be prepared. That said, it is full of adventure. Adams Morgan enunciates his narration overprecisely, sounding somewhat affected until one becomes used to it. Otherwise, his characterizations are delightful--the Tin Woodman even sounds hollow--and his pacing careful enough to let young listeners keep up with the action. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Listening to THE WIZARD OF OZ is an eye-opening experience. There's more to this story's plot, themes, and connections than is revealed in the movie classic. Anna Fields's narration creates a new vision of a younger, sweeter Dorothy; more one-dimensional, fairy-tale-like characters; a more adventurous journey to Oz; and a new ending. Although Fields seems stiff and reserved at first, ultimately those same qualities help simplify the story and keep it truer to the original. Her voiced rendition keeps the characters clear most of the time and helps maintain the simple quality of the story, "in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out." W.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Baum's book lacks the brassy gloss of the movie. Its simple language and righteous tones are well read by Rodger Stevens, who sounds oddly reminiscent of Mr. Rogers. S.B.S. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:1000
  • Text Difficulty:5-7

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