Illustrating Oz (spoilers included)

We are now reading the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. If you are anything like me you will read that title and think "what? seriously? at age 4?" because I know that's what went through my head when I found it on a list of read aloud books for grades k-3. The real problem is that I had only ever seen the movie, which is definitely not for grade k, maybe not even for grade 3, but the book is a completely different animal. Sure there have been deaths I had to explain (most notably that of the wicked witch of the east) and some other bizarre conversations that have taken place (evil is a difficult thing to define) but on a whole the book is really kid friendly and is much longer and more involved than the two youth books we'd read previously, which is a really good thing.

It is going to take us nearly two weeks to get through the wonderful Oz, and in order to enhance comprehension and immersion in the book Calvin has been illustrating the events as they happen. I'm looking forward to the picture book we'll have when we are done.

Aunt Em's house (complete with portriats of Dorothy, Uncle Henry, Aunt Em, and Toto), and the house being carried away by the cyclone (as it is called in the book).

The house in Munchkinland, and the three munchkins who come to thank Dorothy for freeing them from the Wicked Witch of the East.

The scarecrow does have a body, but it's yellow so it's hard to see here.

If you haven't read the book the Kalidahs will be as unknown to you as they were to me, but Calvin (and Mr. Baum) would describe them as having bear bodies and tiger heads and they are a momentary terror to our five familiar travelers. Where Calvin and Mr. Baum would disagree is the smiles, but Calvin gives all creatures smiles in his illustrations—his world, after all, is a completely happy place.

We'll get back to you when we finish the book later this week.