Over the years, he was a newspaperman, an actor, a playwright, an axle grease maker, a dime store owner, a salesman, a Hollywood entrepreneur, and a chicken breeder.
The Baums' loss of four of their nine children in infancy and Frank's heart condition led the parents to indulge and shelter their young son.Īs an adult, Frank Baum had a wildly varied career. Benjamin was a wealthy barrel-maker and sawyer who made his fortune during the Pennsylvania oil rush. Lyman Frank Baum was born on May 15, 1856, in Chittenango, New York, to Cynthia and Benjamin Ward Baum. Although the book did not win any awards during Baum's lifetime, it was given the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1968. Readers fell in love with the wonders of Oz and demanded more books about this enchanted land. Critics applauded Baum's simple storytelling, his message, and his imaginative, believable characters. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz received praise from critics and readers alike. Baum, however, presented a thrilling adventure from a child's point of view, showing the child's ability to solve her own problems and return to the security of her home.
By presenting a female protagonist, casual language, characters such as the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, and settings such as Kansas, Baum created a new approach to children's writing that is distinctly American.īefore The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, children's books were stilted morality tales designed to instruct or to frighten readers into behaving properly. Baum wanted to write a fairy tale that was American, not European, although he introduced elements of traditional European fairy tales (witches, castles, forests) into the story. Although he wrote numerous books, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is easily his most enduring. Frank Baum never imagined the impact The Wonderful Wizard of Oz would have on children's writing or the appeal the book would have to generations of readers. Introduction Author Biography Plot Summary Characters Themes Style Historical Context Critical Overview Criticism Sources Further Reading
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