The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

I've been sick this week.  Really, really sick, breathing issues, yucky sick (like I haven't really left the house since Sunday except to go to a doctor).  What is the best medication?  An audio book.  So, I finally got around to listening to The Wonderful Wizzard of Oz, performed by pretty much everyone that came to ALA this summer (encluding ME!!!).  I thought that the switching of narrators would detract from the story, but I think it enhanced it.  I found myself recognizing the voices of authors I had met (Kathi Appelt, Rebecca Stead...) as well as my own (I was the 16th reader). You could download or just listen to the book at First Book.
 Okay, back to the actual book.  It was wonderful, just like I remembered it from reading the book as a young child.  Dorothy and the other characters felt very real to me even though their adventures were as fanciful as can be.  While I was listening to it today, it didn't even cross my mind that it was abnormal for animals and scarecrows to talk.  One thing that made the story hard to listen to: the nararators pronounced things differently.  Someone would say Dorothy like Dorothy, the next person would call her Darthy and then she would be Dorthy.  My familiarity with the book made this not such a big deal, but I would definently not recommend this version for 1st time readers.  I think that this book has held up so well is because the childish spirit doesn't change from year to year and this book really touches the child inside.

Rating:  *****