| For the docu-film, see Road to Oz (docu-film). |
The Road to Oz is the 5th book in L. Frank Baum's Oz books series. It was published on July 10, 1909.
Plot Summary[]
A Shaggy Man wanders past the Kansas farm where Dorothy Gale lives. He asks for directions, and while Dorothy is showing him the way, she realizes new and unrecognizable roads have appeared, and they must be on an adventure. They meet a boy named Button-Bright and later encounter Polychrome, the Rainbow's daughter, who danced far enough down the rainbow that she slid down and was accidentally left on the ground.
The travelers visit two rival cities: one of foxes and one of donkeys. In Foxville, Button-Bright's head is transformed into that of a fox, and in Dunkiton, the Shaggy Man's head is transformed into that of a donkey. The rulers of both cities ask Dorothy to see if Ozma will invite them to her birthday party. They meet the annoying Musicker, who also asks to be invited to the party, and have a dangerous encounter with the Scoodlers. Eventually, with the help of Johnny Dooit, they cross the Deadly Desert into the Land of Oz on a boat.
They journey to the Emerald City, meeting many of Dorothy's old friends along the way. They encounter a Truth Pond, which restores Button-Bright and the Shaggy Man's natural heads when they bathe in it. They arrive just in time for Princess Ozma's birthday party, to which many distinguished guests from the neighboring countries have been invited (including Santa Claus) as well as King Renard IV and King Kik-a-bray.
The Wizard, having recently learned some real magic from Glinda, sends many of the guests home in giant bubbles (likely the inspiration for Glinda's bubble in the 1939 film). Dorothy and Toto return to Kansas, while the Shaggy Man is invited to stay in Oz.
Characters[]
- Shaggy Man
- Dorothy Gale
- Toto
- Button-Bright
- Renard IV, King of Foxville
- Polychrome
- Kik-a-bray, King of Dunkiton
- Allegro da Capo
- The Scoodlers and their Queen
- Johnny Dooit
- Tik-Tok
- Billina
- The Tin Woodman
- Jack Pumpkinhead
- The Cowardly Lion
- Hungry Tiger
- The Wizard of Oz
- Jellia Jamb
- The Scarecrow
- The Sawhorse
- And Ozma's numerous birthday guests:
- Glinda
- The Wogglebug
- John Dough, Chick the Cherub, and Para Bruin from Hiland and Loland
- Santa Claus, a band of Ryls, and a dozen Knooks from the Forest of Burzee
- The Queen of Merryland, four wooden soldiers, and the Candy Man from Merryland
- The Braided Man from Pyramid Mountain
- The Queen of Ev, King Evardo, and his nine siblings from the Land of Ev
- Queen Zixi of Ix
- King Bud and Princess Fluff from Noland
- The Good Witch of the North
Chapter List[]
- The Way to Butterfield
- Dorothy Meets Button-Bright
- A Queer Village
- King Dox
- The Rainbow's Daughter
- The City Of Beasts
- The Shaggy Man's Transformation
- The Musicker
- Facing the Scoodlers
- Escaping the Soup-Kettle
- Johnny Dooit Does It
- The Deadly Desert Crossed
- The Truth Pond
- Tik-Tok and Billina
- The Emperor's Tin Castle
- Visiting the Pumpkin-Field
- The Royal Chariot Arrives
- The Emerald City
- The Shaggy Man's Welcome
- Princess Ozma Of Oz
- Dorothy Receives the Guests
- Important Arrivals
- The Grand Banquet
- The Birthday Celebration
Design and illustration[]
The Road to Oz was the first Oz book to be published without color plate illustrations. Instead, the entire book was printed on pastel-colored paper - in sections of blue, green, beige, orange, gray, and lavender. (Later printings of the book dropped the colored paper for a standard white.) To compensate for the absence of color plates, Neill made his ink drawings unusually elaborate, with 21 full-page pictures.
Color plates returned with the next book in the series, The Emerald City of Oz, and remained standard until Captain Salt in Oz in 1936.
Gallery[]
Covers[]
External links[]
- A discussion of the book (dead link)
| L. Frank Baum's Oz books |
| 1. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 2. The Marvelous Land of Oz 3. Ozma of Oz 4. Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz 5. The Road to Oz 6. The Emerald City of Oz 7. The Patchwork Girl of Oz 8. Tik-Tok of Oz 9. The Scarecrow of Oz 10. Rinkitink in Oz 11. The Lost Princess of Oz 12. The Tin Woodman of Oz 13. The Magic of Oz 14. Glinda of Oz |