4 h 36 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A stranger loses his way, Dorothy offers to help, and a Kansas road leads far beyond home.
Dorothy Gale sets out from her Kansas farm with Toto beside her and kindness as her guide. Helping the courteous Shaggy Man takes her somewhere far from Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. Along the road, Button-Bright joins them: a cheerful little boy who is lost and hardly seems to mind.
In L. Frank Baum's The Road to Oz, each new encounter brings strange customs, comic surprises, and sometimes danger. Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter, is left behind on earth, while the Shaggy Man carries a charm that warms people toward him. Through it all, Dorothy finds new friends without losing her loyalty to home.
What you’ll discover
- A sensible, kind heroine Walk beside Dorothy as her wish to help carries her into unfamiliar lands.
- Companions worth knowing Meet a courteous wanderer, a cheerful lost boy, and a sprite who loves to dance.
- Strange rules and customs Explore societies where a single odd idea becomes a whole way of life.
- Kindness against danger Discover the Shaggy Man's Love Magnet and the warmth it brings to tense encounters.
- The pull of home Feel how Dorothy's pleasure in new friendships lives alongside her love for her Kansas family.
Who will love it
For children who love gentle adventures, parents reading aloud, and anyone curious about how the Oz series grew. Readers who enjoy strange lands, comic encounters and friendships built on kindness will feel at home.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A wrong turn on a Kansas road
- Strange friends join the walk
- Odd peoples and strange manners
- Small kindnesses as real protection
- What the journey is really about
- How Baum tells the story
Who’s who
- Dorothy GaleA kind, sensible Kansas girl who has visited Oz before and wants to help a stranger, then finds herself far from home.
- The Shaggy ManA ragged, courteous wanderer who carries a charm in his pocket and wants only to stay clear of Butterfield.
- TotoDorothy's small, loyal dog, who follows her everywhere and joins every step of the walk.
- Button-BrightA cheerful, vague little boy who is always lost and never seems to mind.
- PolychromeThe Rainbow's Daughter, a graceful sprite who loves to dance and is left behind on earth.
Formats and delivery
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- Audiobook
- 4 h 36 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
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- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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La Route d’Oz
by L. Frank Baum · 1909
A wrong turn carries Dorothy far from Kansas, where strange peoples test her wit and kindness.
Medium level2–5 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Road to Oz is a fantasy novel for young readers by L. Frank Baum, first published in 1909.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A wrong turn on a Kansas road
The story opens on the farm where Dorothy Gale lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. Dorothy is a sensible child who has already been to Oz and back, and her little dog Toto is at her side. One day a ragged traveler turns up, a man known as the Shaggy Man. He asks Dorothy the way to a town called Butterfield, which he hopes to avoid.
The scene is small, but it sets the pattern of the whole book. Dorothy is helpful by nature, so she walks with him a short way to show him the road. The road forks, and one choice leads away from the town he wants to avoid. Baum lets a simple wrong turn carry the story into the world of fairy tale, as though the countryside itself were only a thin curtain.
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What is The Road to Oz about?
It follows Dorothy, Toto and the Shaggy Man as they walk a road that leads from Kansas into strange lands. They gather new friends, meet odd peoples, and travel toward the Land of Oz.
Who is the Shaggy Man in The Road to Oz?
He is a ragged wanderer who asks Dorothy for directions at the start. He is kind and polite, and he carries a charm called the Love Magnet that makes others warm toward him.
Who is Polychrome?
Polychrome is the Daughter of the Rainbow, a light and graceful sprite who loves to dance. She is stranded on earth and joins Dorothy's party on the road.
The author
L. Frank Baum
1856–1919 · American children's fantasy writer
L. Frank Baum (1856–1919) was an American author of children’s books. He was born in Chittenango, New York, and later lived in South Dakota, Chicago, and California. He published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900 and wrote thirteen further Oz novels. He died in Hollywood, California.
More by L. Frank Baum
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