Dorothy and Toto is a children's chapter book series by Debbi Michiko Florence, illustrated by Monika Roe. They were all published on October 1, 2016 through Picture Window Books as commissioned by Warner Brothers using their copyright on The Wizard of Oz (1939).
The concept is similar to Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz (which debuted a year later) with Dorothy and Toto living in Oz, and interacting with the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion on a regular basis.
It consists of the following volumes:
- What's YOUR Name?
- The Hunt for the Perfect Present
- The Disappearing Picnic
- Little Dog Lost
Plot summary[]
What's YOUR Name?[]
While exploring in Munchkinland, Dorothy and Toto meet a boy named Milty who is fishing. He is friendly and agreeable, but has a bizarre habit of not calling Dorothy by her full name, instead going through a series of nicknames such as Dot, Doro, and Little D.
Dorothy asks the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion about this, and they speculate as to why Milty insists on this odd naming convention. When introducing Milty to Toto, she leads the boy to explaining that his name is Milton, but everyone calls him Milty even though he doesn't like it. Dorothy and Milton agree to call each other by their proper names.
The Hunt for the Perfect Present[]
Dorothy receives an invitation to Milton's birthday party. Talking in her garden with the sentient flowers such as Daisy and Rose, Dorothy says she doesn't know what present would be good for him. She meets Scarecrow, who is giving Milton a popcorn treat; Tin Man, who gives him a birdhouse; and Lion, who gives him a flashlight. When Dorothy and Lion are walking to Milton's, two playful ducklings join them. At the party, Milton sees the ducklings, who are happy to live with him, so he considers them his present from her.
The Disappearing Picnic[]
After watering Daisy, Fern, and Rose, Dorothy and Toto go for a picnic. She purchases a basket from a Munchkin shopkeeper, and meets Milton and the ducklings who are on their way to swim. While they are picnicking, a weasel steals much of their food, which Dorothy thinks has been eaten by Toto. At last Dorothy catches the weasel in the act, and it turns out that it is a mother weasel with many babies. Dorothy lets the weasels join the merry picnic.
Little Dog Lost[]
When Dorothy is watering her flowers, Toto chases after a squirrel who has been disturbing the soil, and runs out of sight. The flowers praise him for saving them, but Dorothy is worried when Toto does not return. She goes looking for him, joined by Milton, the ducklings, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion. The friendly weasels are briefly encountered.
The group travels down the Yellow Brick Road to a large pink house where Toto is playing with a white dog with a pink collar. This is the home of Glinda and her dog Mini. Glinda explains that Mini's best friend moved away yesterday, and Toto raised her spirits. Then everyone sits down for tea and cookies with Glinda.
Oddities[]
The stories exhibit the following notable differences from the Oz books and the 1939 movie. Occasionally the series' inner logic seems inconsistent.
Dorothy appears to live in Munchkinland, and there is no mention of the Emerald City, nor any ruler of Oz.
The Scarecrow and Tin Man eat and drink at least twice in the series.
Dorothy's garden of sentient flowers may be based on a scene from Alice in Wonderland, rather than anything from the Oz books. The canonical books depicted a few such beings, such as the Rose Kingdom and Story Blossom Garden, both of which are probably too obscure to have influenced this series.
Paradoxically, while flowers talk, this Oz has no talking animals except for the Lion.
The Tin Man lives in a tin cottage in Munchkinland, and is apparently does not rule any country.
The flashlight which the Lion gives to Milton seems anachronistic for the depicted culture.
Dorothy's picnic basket, purchased from an ordinary Munchkin shop, appears to have TARDIS carrying capacity, not unlike a few magical artifacts in the Oz books (and some of L. Frank Baum's non-Oz work). Yet this plot point isn't addressed as emphatically as might be expected.
Glinda has apparently never met Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, or the Cowardly Lion before. While her wardrobe is based on Billie Burke, her appearance is infantilized like Dorothy, and she is described as a "girl" rather than a witch, sorceress, or queen. Her lavish mansion, unique among the residences depicted in the series, is not remarked on in the text.