Carried Away

I received a wonderful gift from my mom when I was 8 years old. She presented me with a seven book set of L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz stories. Of course, they became my instant favorites. It is so comforting to still own these books.

Each book is illustrated in several colors, with the original story including drawings by W.W. Denslow, who is also famous for his wonderful renditions of Mother Goose, and The Night Before Christmas.. I feel very fortunate to have this series of books, as these drawings were originally done in 1900, and once the subject of great controversy between the author and artist.

Although I was always terrified of the movie version of this tale, I marveled at these books, and read them several times over. The characters look nothing like later artistic renderings They are old-fashioned, and resemble the political caricatures of the late 1800's, and at times are more comical than "cute."

There are books in this series that most people have never read. Glinda of Oz and The Scarecrow of Oz, and my favorite, The Road to Oz, which introduced Jack Pumpkinhead, a rather spindly creature, who reminds me of a Tim Burton character. (Maybe Tim had these books as a child as well?)

It is a gift of love that my mom gave to me. The gift of reading and loving books.

Books are a part of my life and shape who I am. I love books, read books, and write them!

Thanks, Mom!

Your love of books has carried me away!

Excuse me. I'm off to see The Wizard!