Should have read classics discussion

This is the children's group read for September. I have read this before when I was a kid, and I remember thinking that it differed greatly from the great movie. I can't wait to reread this one!

If you are interested in trying your luck in winning one of these: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Good luck!

Lisa wrote: "If you are interested in trying your luck in winning one of these: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Good luck!"

Hey, I entered! Be fun to have these.

I started this one a few months ago as I was working on an Oz art project. I loved the movie, and I don't know why I never got around to reading the book before.

I like the added story parts in this - the things that weren't in the (original) movie. Was the china town added to the new movie? I swear I saw it, although maybe the story was vivid enough I only saw it in my imagination!

This is a very timely read since this August sees the 75th anniversary of the release of the movie.

I'm not sure where I will start with this as I have several versions and formats to pick off the bookshelf.

I might begin with my very first book

which triggered my absolute desperation to own a pair of red shoes. I got the book for my fourth birthday but didn't get the shoes until my 8th birthday after a lot of begging, wishing, and no doubt whining for them.

I also have the 50th Anniversary edition
I often browse through this book. I also have the original movie on video that was also released for the 50th Anniversary, but since I no longer have a functioning video player I can't watch it, although I am presently trying to resist buying the DVD for the 75th Anniversary. I remember my Grandfather taking me to see it at the big movie theater when I was around 7 years old.

This looks like I might be a little obsessive about the Wizard of Oz - mmmmm I think I probably am. ☺

PS I nearly forgot my Kindle collection

I remember that they showed the movie once a year - the only time we could watch it since there weren't VCRs. It was an EVENT - I'd be so excited each year when I new it was coming.

That's how it was here in NZ too, and they were still showing it every winter school holidays when my kids were young - 1970s/80s. My daughter is still a big fan and her kids are becoming hooked too. Lives on through the generations so has to be good eh?

Ella's Gran wrote: "That's how it was here in NZ too, and they were still showing it every winter school holidays when my kids were young - 1970s/80s. My daughter is still a big fan and her kids are becoming hooked to..."

I remember this movie being part of a Thanksgiving tradition. That's when they showed the movie on TV. Now you can watch whatever you want whenever.

I still remember how it started in black and white then switched to color when Dorothy got to Oz.

It was all the talk when a girl in my school's mother allowed her to stay home to watch one of the Elvis movies on TV.

That's right it did start in black and white, and wasn't it just spectacular to see the Emerald City in color. I think it was one of the earlier, if not first, colorised movies made too.

Isn't it just lovely re-living these memories.

It certainly is lovely - I've enjoyed this thread a lot. My how life has changed. But hopefully we are all still having some experiences that will be looked back on with the same type of nostalgia.

I used to get so excited when the movie would come on TV! I also had the records to play on my record player, love those memories!

I started to read this to my 5 yr old and he was confused on the use of cyclone in the story. We had a tornado this summer near our house and it made much more sense to him after a little verbal clarification.

I just finished reading this as my nighttime reading and I absolutely loved it!

To be very honest, I have seen the movie - multiple times actually and simply loved it but I have never read the book. Am glad its being chosen here as I recently got the book on my Kindle and was looking for an excuse to read it. Looking forward to finally reading the book!

Srividya wrote: "To be very honest, I have seen the movie - multiple times actually and simply loved it but I have never read the book. Am glad its being chosen here as I recently got the book on my Kindle and was ..."

That's how I felt, Srividya. It was interesting to see places where the movie followed the book closely, and where it diverged. Which scenes to cut and combined, in a way.

I really enjoyed it.

Has anyone read any of the other Oz series books? They were supposedly the equivalent of "Harry Potter" during that time ... also which illustrators were in the books that everyone read? Was it W.W. Denslow, the original illustrator for the first edition? Or other illustrators? Did the illustrations have an affect on the way you envisioned the characters in the book like they did on me?

Margaret DC wrote: "Has anyone read any of the other Oz series books? They were supposedly the equivalent of "Harry Potter" during that time ... also which illustrators were in the books that everyone read? Was it W.W..."

I haven't, but I saw the series of 15 available on kindle so I bought it the other day. Looking forward to seeing a possible different slant on what I've always been used to.

I have not read the other books in the series, but hoping to get to them. This book is hard to separate from the movie, but what do you think about the writing compared to other classic children's novels?

Suzanne wrote: "I like the added story parts in this - the things that weren't in the (original) movie. Was the china town added to the new movie? I swear I saw it, although maybe the story was vivid enough I on..."

In 1985 Disney Studios released a movie sequel called Return to Oz that had the china town scene in it ...do you think you may have seen that? It wasn't very well received but I've seen it on TV occasionally :-)

Lisa wrote: "I have not read the other books in the series, but hoping to get to them. This book is hard to separate from the movie, but what do you think about the writing compared to other classic children's..."

I liked the way he writes ... I found it an easy read but not so much that I would lose interest ... I also love the names that he made up for things and the visualizations in the books

Suzanne wrote: "I remember that they showed the movie once a year - the only time we could watch it since there weren't VCRs. It was an EVENT - I'd be so excited each year when I new it was coming."

For years I didn't even realize part of the movie was in color because we only saw it once a year on our black & white TV ... just after we got our first color tv was when my mom told me that most of the movie was in color ... I couldn't wait to see it in color for the first time!

Margaret DC wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "I remember that they showed the movie once a year - the only time we could watch it since there weren't VCRs. It was an EVENT - I'd be so excited each year when I new it was coming..."

You know, I've just realised I knew it turned into colour when Dorothy reached the Emerald City because I saw it first at the cinema! We never had TV at the time!! When I did see it on TV in the late 1960s I remember being disappointed that it wasn't in colour until my dear, patient Mother pointed out that I was watching it on a black and white TV.

Oh how easily you forget ~ how easily you come to expect. ☺

I finished this book last week and it was interesting to see how different the book was from the movie. I forgot that the slippers were silver in the book. I must admit I like the ruby slippers better. I found the idea that the wizard made the people wear glasses to make everything green in the Emerald City an interesting comment in a kids book. Loved the flat-headed people that hit the everyone with their heads. The china city was fun. Just lots of fun and description that you can not get from the movie. My kids found the explanation of how the woodman became tin just cool, although they could not wrap their heads around the idea that he could live long enough after his head was removed to have his head tin. I have much more to say about the book, but this post is long enough!

Lisa wrote: "I finished this book last week and it was interesting to see how different the book was from the movie. I forgot that the slippers were silver in the book. I must admit I like the ruby slippers b..."

There was a lot in the book that didn't make it to the movie. The flat headed/hammerheads were great, as was the China city. I thought the changes made to the flying monkeys by the movie were really interesting.

Yes, the idea that they were cursed and tied to a hat was a twist that made sense. I liked how every kingdom had a different color to represent them. Always a certain sense of nationalism even in Oz!