Module 12 * Biography and Autobiography * April 7-13

The Road to Oz: Twists, Turns, Bumps and Triumphs in the Life of Frank L. Baum

by 

Kathleen Krull

Bibliography: Krull, K. (2008). The road to Oz: Twists, turns, bumps and triumphs in the life of Frank L. Baum. New York, NY: Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Summary:  This book takes the reader through the life of Frank L. Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz books. It starts with his privileged childhood and then takes you through his on-going struggle to make something successful of himself while growing up and eventually creating a family of his own.  The ideas he had for the next big thing, or the way he would make his fortune were always far-fetched and usually dismal failures.  That is, until he decided to take the one thing he has always been good at, telling entertaining stories to his children and their friends.  Those stories eventually became the well-love children's book and movie, The Wizard of Oz.

My Take: Since his books are among my all-time favorites, I enjoyed this book.  It was interesting to see the long journey Baum went on before he became famous.  It was sweet that the stories stemmed from the love he had for his children.  He led a very bumpy life, just like the title says.  

Reviews: 

"Once upon a time, there was no Dorothy from Kansas and her little dog, Toto. There was no tornado that whirled them to a magic world named Oz...Someone had to make it all up." Author Kathleen Krull skillfully tells young readers precisely how an interesting man named Frank L. Baum did so. Through vivid anecdotes and strong research, Baum comes to life as not only the author of these beloved stories, but also as a human, who failed time and time again in a variety of pursuits. Persistence and heart are characteristics of Baum (that shine through thanks to Krull. Kevin Hiiwkcs's skillful illustrations add much to the text, making this biography a delicious visual feast.

Coleman, J. The Road to Oz: Twists, Turns, Bumps & Triumphs in the Life of L. Frank Baum (review).  Library Media Connection, 27(3), 83-84.

Krull (Hillary Rodham Clinton) turns to the frequently failing but resilient man behind the 1900 classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Her very readable account begins with Lyman Frank Baum's privileged childhood in a wealthy family and continues through his many attempted careers, such as chicken breeder, newspaper editor and window dresser. "Bad luck, bad planning, too much ambition, too much risk… ('Will he ever amount to anything?' some people whispered)." The chatty narrative paints a well-rounded, occasionally irreverent portrait of Baum as a plucky, earnest entrepreneur and doting family man who loved telling stories to his four sons. Numerous parenthetical asides interject well-researched tidbits, such as jokes Baum recycled in his Aberdeen (Dakota Territory) newspaper. Hawke's (Library Lion) jaunty acrylics fit Baum's optimistic spirit, while vignettes drawn in green highlight some of Baum's inspirations, e.g., drawings of the Tin Man accompany a passage about how the writer once made an all-metal dummy for a hardware store window. A detailed author's note rounds out this cheeky yet informative biography. Ages 8-12.

The Road to Oz: Twists, Turns, Bumps & Triumphs in the Life of L. Frank Baum (review). (2008) Publishers Weekly 255(34), 74.

Use in a School Library: I would use this book with a 4th grade study of authors and their crafts.  I would have a list of biographies and autobiographies appropriate for the age and I would have kids choose one.  Then I would have them create a report of any kind they wish to share the author's struggles, process and successes.  It should be inspirational for them to see how many different methods different authors use and that writing does not always come easily, even to professionals!