For more than a half century readers have eagerly traveled beside Dorothy and her little black dog Toto on their trip through the enchanting make-believe land of Oz, in L. Frank Baum's delightful classic THE WIZARD OF OZ.

It is no wonder that Dorothy and her companions have captured the imaginations of young and old alike, for no one could possibly resist the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, or the Tin Woodman. The Lion was in search of courage; the Scarecrow, brains; and the Woodman wanted a heart to love with. All Dorothy wanted to do was to return to Uncle Henry and Aunt Em in Kansas, where she had been caught up in a cyclone that dropped her in the land of the Munchkins.

So it was that along the yellow brick road the companions traveled to the Emerald City of the great Wizard of Oz, to ask that their wishes be granted. It was an exciting journey with the help of the Queen of Mice, escaped from a field of deadly poppies. But their adventures were far from being ended, for Oz decreed that before he granted them anything, they must kill the Wicked Witch of the West. 

That was how they came to visit the land of the Winkies where they battled the Witche's magic and met the Winged Monkeys. But before their wishes were granted, they were also to discover an amazing secret about the magnificent Oz himself. 

The famous W.W. Denslow pictures, adapted by Evelyn Copelman, will add to your enjoyment of this memorable story of Dorothy's journey and adventures through a fabulous land.

From the dust jacket of the Illustrated Junior Library edition