(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger. Afterword by Erin Stead. An edition of Baum's classic fantasy first published in 1996 is reissued with a new afterword. The illustrations, many of them full-page paintings, showcase Zwerger's distinctive style in a way that fits the text. This is a successful re-imagining of a well-loved story.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Robert Ingpen. An appended note describes the illustrator's dissatisfaction with the movie images of Baum's classic. Ingpen's fans will appreciate his attempts to draw "L. Frank Baum's 'Oz' characters and their adventures to be as near to 'real' as I have always wanted them to be." The large book, with its heavy cream-colored paper and approachable pictures, is a handsome version for collectors.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger. An edition of Baum's classic fantasy first published in 1996 is reissued in a slightly altered format. The illustrations, many of them full-page paintings, showcase Zwerger's distinctive quirky style in a way that fits the text. Libraries with the earlier edition need not replace it, but this is a successful re-imagining of a well-loved story.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Charles Santore. This edition has been skillfully condensed for those not ready for the longer original work. Santore's many paintings, including spot art and full- and double-page spreads, add a successful dose of drama to the classic fantasy.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 4-6 Mary Engelbreit's Classic Library series. The novel features a cover illustration by Mary Engelbreit and is packaged with a gimmicky necklace. For libraries, the value of this unabridged hardcover is the inexpensive price.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) 4-6 Oxford Children's Classics series. These budget-priced unabridged volumes, compact and sturdily bound with glossy-finished covers, have pleasant but bland cover illustrations and a uniform design. A short "about the author" is included in each. Review covers these Oxford Children's Classics titles: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Wind in the Willows, and Party Shoes.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Charming Classics series. Each of these "deluxe editions" of classic novels are packaged with a gimmicky necklace (thus the "charm" in the series title). For collections, the value of these unabridged hardcovers is the inexpensive price.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Michael Hague & Michael Hague. A human foundling is adopted by a wood nymph who lives in a magic forest. Claus grows up to make toys that he gives to mortal children; the joy that he spreads eventually earns him the Mantle of Immortality. First published in 1902, this meandering but appealingly old-fashioned tale by the author of The Wizard of Oz features full-page magic-creature-filled illustrations indebted to Arthur Rackham.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Robert Sabuda. No other pop-up edition of The Wizard of Oz has been so elaborately and carefully constructed as this one. This book is as much a fond tribute to W. W. Denslow as to Baum, for Sabuda lovingly copied the original pictures as color linoleum cuts and depicts details even Denslow missed. Baum himself would have been enchanted with this inventive interpretation of his famous fairy tale.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2000

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Michael Hague. To commemorate the one-hundredth anniversary of the novel's first publication, the classic story of Dorothy's first trip to Oz has been reissued in this handsome volume. Set in a large, easy-to-read typeface, the text is liberally illustrated, but the book will mainly be of interest to Michael Hague fans. Some biographical information about the author is included at the back.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Charles Santore. In celebration of the one-hundredth birthday of Baum's landmark novel, Santore's oversized picture book, which includes an introduction by Michael Patrick Hearne, has been reissued. Expansive illustrations, bursting with color, depict Dorothy's adventures in the Land of Oz. The abridged text, which has been expertly condensed, retains Baum's original wording.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) 4-6 Books of Wonder series. Illustrated by John R. Neill. Despite the glossy paper used in this replica of the book's first edition, this twelfth book in the Oz series has a suitably old-fashioned charm resulting from the inclusion of the original black-and-white sketches and full-color plates, as well as a traditional typeface. An afterword by the publisher provides background information.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) 4-6 Books of Wonder series. Illustrated by John R. Neill. While planning a birthday present for Ozma, Dorothy and the Wizard travel to the Gillikin forests and encounter the evil Nome King. This replica of the thirteenth Oz book will please fans. The large, old-fashioned typeface and numerous illustrations--black-and-white line drawings and color plates--will help transport readers to the beloved fantasy world. An afterword provides some background information.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) 4-6 Books of Wonder series. Illustrated by John R. Neill. Dorothy, the Wizard, and the Emerald City's other celebrated denizens set off to find their beloved Princess Ozma, who has disappeared. A series of adventures leads the group to the kidnapper, a Winkie shoemaker who has designs on ruling Oz himself. While the mystery is tidily wrapped up with a moral, fans of the Oz series won't mind. Color plates and profuse black-and-white drawings illustrate the fantasy, originally published in 1917.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute