The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Review

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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ReviewI'm giving this book four stars instead of 5 for one reason: this book has an abridged text so I'm judging it on illustrations alone and they're quite good. Greg Hildebrandt needs no introduction and his Tolkien-like take-no-prisoners approach to Oz is different and refreshing; however, I would be reluctant to give this book to a small child because of the illustrations.
The illustrations are either in black and white or in color. The illustrations of Kansas (black and white naturally) are quite good and I suspect that the illustrator got his inspiration for the cyclone from the film. The Munchkins are marvelous as are the Tin Woodman and Scarecrow but the first appearance of the Lion is anything but cowardly as he attempts to rip the Scarecrow to shreds and on the following page the Tin Woodman battling the Kalidahs might keep some of the younger set up nights. The black and white illustration of the field mice rescuing the Lion from the poppy field is drawn from the point of view of the mice (i.e. eye level.)
Those of you familiar with the book know that when our friends are granted an audience with the Wizard, each sees a different "persona". The ball of fire isn't illustrated here but the great head and the winged woman are and the monster that the Woodman sees is in b & w and that was a disappointment.
The Wicked Witch of the West is one of the high points of this edition; I was never happy with Denslow's depiction; it was almost laughable. Here it is easy to believe that she doesn't bleed when Toto bites her. She looks downright nasty as are her wolves with glowing red coals for eyes. Denslow's Winged Monkeys merely appear mischievous but Hildebrandt's appear to be rabid and again have red-coal eyes. The Winkies have an Arabian Nights look about them. "The Whomping Tree" holds the Scarecrow in a rather precarious position. The Flatheads are extraordianry, but once again there are no illustrations of the battle between the Lion and the giant spider.
This oversized book is well worth the money...Dorothy looks like a very young Jennifer Lopez (which is not a bad thing) and the Wizard is obviously a shyster, albeit a lovable one. In the illustration where the Wizard is inserting a heart into the Woodman's chest, the Woodman does look a bit like a member of Devo with those green glasses. I also noticed that the Lion always walks on all fours, never upright and in the illustration with the field mice he's on his back with a paw in the air.
Some Oz purists may not appreciate the new illustrations but I found them quite refreshing. They're different but still done with a great deal of respect. Do yourself a favor and check this one out.The Wonderful Wizard of Oz OverviewOriginally published in 1900, the story of Dorothy's trip to Oz was the first truly American fairy tale. Here's a dazzling new way to enjoy L. Frank Baum's classic story about the little girl from rural Kansas who flew away on a tornado. Lavish full-color illustrations by Greg Hildebrandt, one of our finest fantasy artists, bring to life the world of the Tin Woodman, Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, and Wizard.

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