Alistair Hedley

Very brief "junior" novelization of the film, written by British folklorist Neil Philip under a pseudonym. An adult could read it in an hour or two at most.

Philip rewrites very nearly every piece of dialogue from the script, as well as quite a bit of internal thinking, that shifts the characters in entirely new directions while maintaining the same basic plot. Perhaps the most obvious change is the total removal of Americanisms, with British-friendly slang and constructions in their place; the most affected is Billina, who seems to have shifted from a very American chicken to a working-class British hen.

The more interesting aspect of the book is the way in which Philip applies folkloric terms, especially to the second half in the Nome King's dominions. The Nome King speaks in prosey, abstract terms that might actually be hard for a small child to understand; for instance, he talks about the jewels of his realm being "riven" to make the Emerald City. There's also a lot of rock and mining symbolism, the best bit being when he tells Dorothy that breaking down crying is "not how a brave little rock behaves" and that "there's no rift without a trace of ore" (as opposed to the more common omelet/egg scenario, for obvious reasons!).

It's a very slight book, but for fans of the movie and Oz in different forms, worth more of a read than you'd suspect. Pleasantly, like the other Puffin Oz books (reprints of Baum's novels 1 - 8), it also includes a simplified version of the original Oz map.… (más)

This book is a real treasure! The book is filled with various short pieces of poetry and rhymes, a lot of which are classics. This book if perfect for both reading aloud or reading independently, the book is filled with awesome features that really make this tiny book a great one. There are numerous authors included in the book that parents or teachers are sure to recolonize. The book is filled with beautiful illustrations to go along with the short poems and rhymes, the illustrations also vary in simplicity and detail throughout the book. I really liked how the illustrations were in different places throughout the book which really made each one of the pages unique. The illustrations made it easy to really grasp the meaning of the words and in many you could see the words come alive through the illustrations. I liked how the book included a table on contents which actually categorized the poems in the following groups: Animal Poems, Story Poems, Nature Poems, Nonsense Rhymes, Childhood Poems, Play Rhymes, People Poems, Rhymes About Grown-ups, Magical Poems, Action Rhymes, Tongue Twisters and Riddles, Bedtime Poems, Poems To Think. Each of the poems were listed with their page number right next to them. I liked the variety in the topics, authors, and categories in this treasury. I really liked that there is something in this little book for everyone which makes it a great book. I would recommend this book to anyone.… (más)