Reviews: (by author)

Baum, L. Frank. Illustrated by Charles Santore. With an introduction by Michael Patrick Hearn. The Wizard of Oz . New York: Random House, 1991. 96 pp. ISBN 0-375-81137-0. $21.95.

I have nothing against new illustrations of classic children's books, especially if they contribute to a new vision or understanding of the text. I don't particularly like Charles Santore's illustrations, and I don't think they reveal any new dimensions in Baum's story.

I do object strongly to "condensing" classic texts and see no excuses for this. According to the editorial note, the story has been slaughtered "carefully [..] so that virtually no language other than Baum's has been used." Maybe so, but enough has been cut down that it no longer is Baum's story. So whom does this book address? The huge format is not friendly to a child's handling. Do American parents want to give their children a corrupt version of this most American of all children's books? (Well, after Disney, who cares?). Perhaps it would have been better to publish Santore's illustrations without any text at all, for the benefit of scholars.

Reviewed by Maria Nikolajeva

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