The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

Folklore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal.

“No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home.”

Keep to the West, where the sun sets, and you cannot fail to find her.”

Her name was Layette, and she lived in a handsome palace built from great blocks of ruby. Everyone loved her, but her greatest sorrow was that she could find no one to love in return, since all the men were much too stupid and ugly to mate with one so beautiful and wise.

“Oh, no, my dear; I’m really a very good man, but I’m a very bad Wizard, I must admit.”

“But could you not be mended?” asked the girl. “Oh, yes; but one is never so pretty after being mended, you know,” replied the Princess.

“Take me home to Aunt Em!”