Cavallaro, Michael. L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz.

CAVALLARO, Michael. L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz. Penguin, Puffin Graphics. 176p. illus, c2005.0-142-40470-5. $9.99. JSA 

The Wizard of Oz is an American classic. It would be an understatement to say that most people know the story, but to summarize: Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are blown clear out of Kansas, and end up in the Land of Oz. To get home, Dorothy must travel to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard, and during her journey she acquires three traveling companions--a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Lion. This graphic novel is an adaptation of L. Frank Baum's book, not the movie, so it may contain some surprises. The Winged Monkeys are controlled by a magical hat; the Scarecrow gets stuck in the middle of a river and is rescued by a talking stork; and instead of lions and tigers and bears there are Kalidahs, monstrous beasts with the bodies of bears and the heads of tigers.

The Wizard of Oz is a fine adaptation. Cavallaro's b/w art is action-oriented, and I like many of the modifications he's made to the characters. The Tin Man (who looks like a walking boiler) has rocket boots and a buzz saw instead of an axe; and Dorothy looks more like a country girl, wearing pants, a jacket and wristbands with stars on them. She still has the pigtails, though. The Wizard of Oz contains violence (the Tin Man fights wolves with his buzz saw, and the Lion battles a giant spider); it is recommended for libraries with graphic novel collections, especially juvenile collections. George Galuschak, YA Libn., Montvale PL, Montvale, NJ