Dorothy and her dog Toto are the only bits of color in the dull, grey farm of Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, when the most sudden and surprising tornado lifts the little girl, the dog, and their house up into the air, twirling and twisting away from Kansas, America, and the world we know. When the house finally settles to the ground, it is in the country of the little Munchkins, in the Land of Oz. To the Munchkins, Dorothy is a hero, for when her house came down, it landed squarely on the Wicked Witch of the East, leaving only her magical shoes. 

With those silver slippers on her feet, Dorothy sets out on the Yellow Brick Road, heading for the Emerald City and the Wizard of Oz, to ask him to send her home to Kansas. The journey is much longer than Dorothy had expected though, and with her newfound friends, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion, the little girl from Kansas meets with danger, excitement, and all sorts of adventures. Even readers who have seen the famous movie on which this book was based, will find new and fresh exploits as they join Dorothy and her little dog. 

In this first book of Oz, L. Frank Baum presents us with a treasure far more valuable than Dorothy's slippers. For every time we look into his book, we may discover some new charm or feast our eyes upon a delight that we never before noticed, and the journey down the yellow brick road never fails to lead wanderers straight into the heart of adventure. From the moment an amazing cyclone whirls Dorothy and little Toto away from their grey, dry lives on a Kansas farm into the land of dream-like wonders, new-comers to Oz and verified citizens alike will be enchanted with this classic the author calls a "modern fairy tale."