The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorites. When I was a kid, I watched the movie every time it was broadcast. Because back in the olden days there were no VCR’s, no DVD or Blu-ray players, and certainly no streaming on demand platforms. Back then we would scour the T.V. listings published in the newspaper each week so we could be parked in front of the T.V. when something good was aired. And so, I learned to love the classic Judy Garlic version of the story.
But then, I discovered the books. And oh, how I fell in love. We were frequent library patrons in those days, still are, and on one of those many visits to the grand repository of the written word, I discovered that the movie I so enjoyed was based on a book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. And wonder of all wonder, there were thirteen more stories that followed the first! I checked those books out over and over again. If 40 years and some library remodels had not come to pass, I could still get you within a couple of shelves of where that particular series was shelved.
When Kevin and I were newly married, we had many date nights at Borders, a large bookstore that is now, unfortunately, gone. Because we were poor, we rarely bought anything unless it was on the $5 bargain table, but we loved to peruse the shelves looking for new books that caught our fancy. And I always ended up wandering the children’s books section. Not only was I teaching 4th grade at the time, but even as an adult, I’ve always loved children’s books. And so, I would wander, looking for new books that just might interest my class or old favorites from my own childhood.
On one of those trips, I happened to discover a set of all fourteen of the original Oz books. In all my life, I had never seen the entire series in a store, only the first book. And this set was a reproduction of all the first editions, in hardback. They were beautiful books. I had never owned the Oz books as a child, only checked them out from the library, so that set of books seemed like just about the most perfect series of books ever. But like I said, we were poor. And even back then, hardback books were pricier than paperbacks. But so in love was I with those novels that we crunched our numbers and budgeted for one book a month. Over the course of those first months of marriage, we would make our way to the store and buy the next book in the series, always hoping that they would still be there as the ones we purchased never seemed to be restocked. And then for our first Christmas together, Kevin bought me the remaining five or six books.
I have read those books many times since then. We have read them to our children and some of them have picked them up and read them independently as well. They are still magical stories and still a beautiful set. The movie has been watched frequently in our home and a few years ago we were able to attend a viewing on the big screen. And let me tell you, if you have never seen your favorite classic flicks in the theater, be sure to catch them if you have the change. Seeing things on the big screen is very different. Though you may have memorized the movie through a multitude of viewings, as I have, details that are lost on smaller screens are visible when viewed larger than life and it is magical!
So, with all that for background, you will understand why I selected this year’s inaugural Halloween themed treat. I saw the idea on Pinterest, and it had my name written all over it. It was super simple to create and I suspect it will inspire a viewing of one of my favorite movies. And I think it’s time to revisit the books as well. Life has been a bit trying of late, and a brief escape to a wonderful land where marvelous things happen and the good guys always win sounds like the perfect remedy.
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