Finding Oz page 1

 Finding Oz page 1 by ric gustafson

Images always enter author L Frank Baum's mind. A gray Kansas prairie. A lively girl with a brave little dog. A terrifying twister. A mystical land ruled by good and wicked witches. A township of little people. A road of yellow bricks. A scarecrow, a tin man and a cowardly lion. A city of emeralds controlled by a mysterious wizard. Baum told his publisher that the story seemed to write itself.

L Frank Baum was 44 when his book hit stores in 1900. Before Baum became an author he was an actor, chicken breeder, owned a variety store and was a newspaper publisher.

Baum was tall, handsome and had a deep voice. Baum's wife Maud was busy raising the family's four growing boys. Maud's mother Matilda Joslyn Gage also stayed with them.

Baum was always asked how he discovered Oz. He said one day he was telling a story to his sons and some of the neighbor children. Baum told a story about a whimsical land. A neighbor girl asked about the name of the land. Baum glanced around the room. He noticed a filing cabinet. One of the drawers read O-Z. Baum smiled and said the whimsical land was called Oz.

research help: ' Finding Oz' by Evan I Schwartz

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric