OZ's Adventure - (Illustrated Edition of World Children's Literature)

Author: Frank Baum (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features:
Just then, Dorothy was the only one left, and she felt hungry. So she walked to the cupboard, cut some bread for herself, and spread butter on it. She also gave Toto some bread and took down a bucket from the shelf, carrying it to the stream to fill it with clear, sparkling water. Toto ran to the tree, barking at the birds perched on it. Dorothy went after Toto and saw so many delicious fruits hanging on the branches. She thought they would be perfect for breakfast and picked some. Then she returned to the house, drank some cool, clean stream water, and gave some to Toto as well. After that, she began to prepare for her journey to the Emerald City.
Dorothy, besides what she was wearing, had only a dress, but it happened to be quite clean and hung on a wooden nail by her bedside. It was a checked fabric with small blue and white squares. Although the blue had faded a bit, it was still a pretty dress. The little girl carefully cleaned herself up, put on the clean dress, fastened her pink sun hat on her head, and took a small basket. She took some bread from the cupboard and placed it in the basket, covering it with a white cloth. Then she looked down at her shoes and found them too old and worn. "They won’t last this long journey, Toto," she said. Toto looked up at her, his small black eyes looking at Dorothy’s face, and wagged his tail, showing he understood.
Just then, Dorothy saw the silver shoes that once belonged to the Wicked Witch of the East placed on the table. "I wonder if they’ll fit me," she said to Toto. "They’re perfect for a long journey because they’re unbreakable." She took off her old leather shoes and put on the silver ones. They fit perfectly, as if they were made for her.
Then she picked up the basket. "Let’s go, Toto," she said. "We’re going to the Emerald City to ask the great Oz how we can get back to Kansas." She closed the door, locked it, and carefully put the key in her pocket. That way, she began her journey, with Toto trotting behind her, looking very serious.
There were several roads nearby, and it didn’t take long for Dorothy to find the one paved with yellow bricks. Soon after, she set off cheerfully on the road to the Emerald City, the silver shoes clicking happily on the hard yellow bricks. The sun shone brightly, and the birds sang sweetly. People would think a little girl suddenly carried away by the wind to a strange land would be very sad, but Dorothy felt almost nothing of the kind. As she walked forward, she was amazed at how beautiful the scenery around her was. The roads were lined with neat fences painted in an elegant blue, and beyond the fences were lush farmlands and vegetable gardens. Clearly, the Munchkins were good farmers and could have a big harvest. Occasionally, when she passed by a house, people would come out to look at her; and as she walked past, they bowed deeply. Everyone knew that she had killed the Wicked Witch and freed them from their bonds.
The Munchkin houses were all quite peculiar—each one was round, with a round roof. All the houses were painted blue, because in this part of the East, blue was the favorite color.
As evening approached, after walking so far, Dorothy grew tired and began to wonder where to spend the night. That’s when she came to a house larger than the others. In front of the house, on a green lawn, men and women were dancing. Five short violinists were playing their instruments as hard as they could, and people were laughing and singing. Nearby was a large table covered with delicious fruits and nuts, pies and cakes, and many other tasty treats. People greeted Dorothy warmly and invited her to join them for dinner and the night. This was the wealthiest family in the land, and the owner and his friends were gathered to celebrate their liberation from the Wicked Witch’s tyranny.