The Wizard of Oz: The Classic Edition

by Charles Santore

With stunning illustrations from celebrated artist Charles Santore and a child-friendly, abridged retelling that remains faithful to Frank L. Baum's original text, this Classic Edition of The Wizard of Oz is a must-have for every family's library.

Readers of all ages will follow the Yellow Brick Road on an unforgettable journey that takes them from Dorothy’s gray Kansas home into the blue Munchkin land; the sparkling bejeweled Emerald City; the dark, foreboding forest; and the ruby-red throne room of Glinda the Good Witch in this gorgeously illustrated, classic edition of The Wizard of Oz.

Genres: Classics, Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction

104 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 1995

About the author

Charles Santore is an American illustrator best known for his children's books. His work is on display permanently at the Brandywine River Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. He won the Hamilton King award from the New York Society of Illustrators. His book William the Curious won the 1998 Storytelling World Honor from Storytelling magazine.

Reviews

[Mikayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this to a little girl I babysat and was completely weirded out. This story is bizarre. The only thing I appreciated was the use of colors and the strong emphasis on lovng home. I also liked the description of courage.
All in all, way to creepy for most kids, no really good morals, and kind of flat characters.
At least now I get more refrances.

[Jillian Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a blast reading this with my 5 year old! The illustrations in this addition are gorgeous!

[Zachary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charles Santore's illustrations were charming. There's something about watercolor that feels more whimsical. It's perfect for fairytales.

The abridged text made for a quick, fun read.

[Lisa R · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter's absolute favourite story (probably because I paraphrase the text and we just flip through all the pictures lol). she's only 2.5 but she will tell you the whole (paraphrased) story.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful illustrations. The story, shortened for this edition but only through removal of text, is fine. I'm not sure if I'm interested in reading the full story or any of its sequels.

[Joshua Reitano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this illustrated edition. Read it to both of my children.

[Sandi Poyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an abridged telling of the story but I became curious after reading "Finding Dorothy." The author of that book referenced some differences between the book and the movie and since I had never read any Baum books (maybe to grandchildren some day), I was curious. One small example is that the end of the story does not have Dorothy waking up in her Kansas bed with the Oz story being a dream. Worth a quick read if you grew up on the movie.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read aloud to my 9 year old. Can you believe he didn't know the story, and was all confused when I was trying to explain its story compared to "Wicked?" Charming abridgement, beautiful illustrations. Probably gonna make him watch the classic movie next.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my 4yo and she loved it. The long picture book format was perfect for her. The story is condensed from the original, which is not my preference, but the gorgeous illustrations completely make up for that!

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations! This was a perfectly condensed version of the original. My 4-yr-old and I enjoyed reading this one together. 😊

[K.A. Mielke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not read the abridged text, but am rating this edition 5-stars based on my flipping through and admiring these GORGEOUS illustrations.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated child-friendly version. My daughter loved this and we read this (lengthy for her, age 6) in 2 nights. After every chapter she wanted to keep going!

[Mandy Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids love this book. It is a great adaptation of a traditional story and the illustrations are just lovely.

[Leslie Carnahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS WIZARD OF OZ RENDITION IS ABSOLUTELY STUNNING

[Courtney Jones Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of words per page, but an amazing read aloud because of the big pages and beautiful artwork.

[Nicole Sampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good retelling of the classic story. It was shortened enough to keep my kids' interest and it cut out just enough, but it was long enough that it could've still been a chapter book. I wish there had been chapters to break it up some. The pictures were beautiful.

[Kevin Guarnotta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great intro for kids to the story. Wonderful Illustrations.
Read with Aurelio