Thursday, January 22, 2009

Review: The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by Graham Rawle

I'm not going to attempt to review the text of The Wizard of Oz, there are certainly enough reviews of this classic story out there. My daughter and I read a different version together as her first chapter book three years ago and it was an incredible experience, full of adventure and magic. What I want to bring to everyone's attention is the amazing illustrations of collage artist Graham Rawle.

These drawings/photographs/collages are the perfect compliment to Baum's fanciful text. Each picture has so much to see!! Plants and buildings are made up of tiny, interesting parts and the scary creatures really bring life to the text. I especially love when doll people are given photographs of real people as heads, the effect is so unique. Nearly every page has an illustration of some kind and every page has either a good quote on the sidebar or a passage within the text enlarged in a different font to make it stand out. I wish I could've read this version aloud! If you are a fan of Oz or just of original and creative artwork, please leaf through this one. You won't regret it.

2 comments:

Dim Sum, Bagels, and Crawfish said...

Thanks for this recommendation. We have been enjoying the pop-up version by Robert Sabuda. We haven't read the original/full text yet but it is on our list. I think it will be a fun read with Noah. And it will be fun to see this unique version.

Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity said...

Sounds like a great read! It's been years since I've read The Wizard of Oz, but this one looks too good to pass up.

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