Featured Author

Born April 22, 1887 in Minden, Germany
Died May 27, 1974 in Idell, New Jersey

Kurt Wiese was one of the first wave of American illustrators by whose innovations and prolixity, America’s view of children’s books was so influenced from the 1930’s through the 1950’s. Among his contemporaries were Wanda Gag, Lynd Ward, Berta and Elmer Hader and Lois Lenski. While he authored and illustrated a dozen or so of his own books, Wiese was primarily an illustrator of the books of others and worked with many of the best children’s writers of a generation. Beyond the quality of his own artwork and the quality of writing of those with whom he collaborated, there is also the sheer volume of his productivity. I have tracked down 350 or so books in this bibliography but have seen references to his having produced 400 or even 450 books in his career.

Among the better known authors whose works he illustrated were Felix Salten (Bambi), Dhan Gopal Mukerji, Marjorie Flack, Claire Huchet Bishop, Margaret Wise Brown, Sterling North, Mendert de Jong, Roy Chapman Andrews, Noel Streatfield, Walter R. Brooks, Marguerite Henry, and Dufield Stong.

But how did he get from Germany to the USA? Well, therein lies a tale and one probably best told in his own words. Suffice to say that few children’s authors/illustrators have traveled such a winding road to their final career. Having grown up in Germany, Wiese graduated school in 1901 and immediately went to work for a trading company with particular ties to China. Here is his account of the next few years from his autobiographical essay in the 1934 Junior Book of Authors.

However, seven years after having left school, I found myself in the center of China, after an unforgettable trip thru Russia, thru the snow-covered vastness of Siberia, along the edge of the Gobi desert, and last thru fertile Manchuria.

Six years of traveling in China and selling merchandise brought me in contact with its people, and the study of the Chinese language helped me to get a better knowledge of this country and its population than foreigners usually do.

When the World War broke out in 1914, I went to the German colony of Tsingtao which was attacked and taken by Japanese troops after a siege of three months. I was taken prisoner but handed over to British authorities and there began a captivity of five years. One year was spent at Hong Kong and the remaining four years in Australia. Unforgettable again was the trip on board of a small steamer thru the islands of the South Sea and along the Great Barrier of Australia, till after three weeks our ship passed thru the rock-gates of Sydney Harbor.

Deeply impressed by the landscape and the animal world of Australia, I began to take up drawing and writing and when I came back to Germany in 1919 I was so successful with the material I brought home that I found I could do better with my drawings and stories than by going back to China and selling merchandise again.

I stayed in Germany for three years, illustrating and writing my first children’s books. I also designed exotic backgrounds for a film company, and as this company was formed by the well known animal dealers, Hagenbeck of Hamburg, I was constantly in touch with all kinds of animals, studies of which helped enrich my sketchbooks and my knowledge of animals, which I always had loved to study and draw.

When the film company closed its door I followed an urge for a warmer country again and I left Germany for Brazil. There I found the most beautiful tropical country and the intended short trip lengthened into a stay of three years. The first year was filled with travels thru the mountainous coastal region back of Rio de Janeiro, with others to the South of Brazil, one of which carried me into the deep jungles of Parana and a meeting there with a tribe of Indians that still roam thru these forests in the very same state that they did before the country was discovered by white people.

After the first year in Brazil I met a prominent writer of children’s books and he asked me to join the firm for which he wrote and illustrate his books. I accepted and spent two happy years in a house that one dreams of, white against a background of flowers and palm tress, drawing for the Brazilian children. Besides the book illustrations I worked for a newspaper, drawing cartoons and a weekly children’s page.

About this time, there came a call from the United States, and after a quick decision, I boarded an American steamer and waved good-by to the row of palm trees along the beach of the harbor of Santos. When I arrived in New York snow flurries swept along the gray skyline of Manhattan.

What he does not mention is that a revolution had already broken out in China in 1911 before the advent of World War I, and that his return to Germany from Australia was via Africa. So, upon his arrival in the US in 1927, at forty years of age, Wiese had been an international trader, lived abroad on three continents for more than a dozen years, seen revolution and war, become a prisoner or war as well as an internee, taken up drawing with no formal training, had practiced commercial art and design, done book illustrating in two different cultures as well practicing as a cartoonist and a journalist. If that’s not serpentine, I don’t know what is.

Once ensconced in America, he settled down in New Jersey, married, bought a small farm, opened a small art studio and started producing illustrated books for children at a furious pace, something like a dozen books a year for the balance of his working life. “It seems hard for me to believe that I have not lived here all my life.”

Wiese’s worked is marked by great versatility, I suppose in some way mimicking the flexibility of his life leading up to his career as a children’s illustrator. While he favored animal and nature as subjects of illustration, he covered just about everything. He illustrated fiction and non-fiction, stories requiring reasonably life-like illustrations and others with much more of a cartoon quality. He illustrated everything from folk-tales, animal tales, stories of distant lands, to bible stories. He worked with authors on single books as well with authors for whole series. He worked in black and white, as well as in full color illustrations.

In addition to his productivity, Wiese, similar to his contemporary Wanda Gag, was noted not only for his artistic capability in rendering a drawing but also for his eye for the design of the whole book; should it be black and white, two-color, five color or other? Should it be a standard format or did the nature of the story require a different shape?

Unlike many of his contemporary illustrators, Wiese also established himself as the illustrator of a number of series, most spectacularly the Freddy series (discussed below). In addition to this hugely and persistently popular series, he also illustrated a geography series by Marguerite Henry (of Misty of Chincoteague fame), two sets of country series, one by Lois Donaldson and one by Bernadine Bailey, and a series about animal twins by Jane F. Tompkins.

Wiese’s current reputation is firmly grounded on four specific books, The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack, The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop, Honk, the Moose by Duffield Stong and the Freddy the Pig series by Walter R. Brooks.

The first of these, The Story About Ping , and perhaps his most enduringly popular book, was written by Marjorie Flack and published in 1933. Flack was already a reasonably well established children’s author and had published in 1930, Angus and the Ducks, the first of a series of very popular books concerning Angus, a Scottie dog. However, the ducks in the title (neighbors of Angus’s) were Peking Ducks. Apparently Flack became fascinated by these birds, did more research and decided to write what became the The Story About Ping . She selected Wiese to illustrate the book as he had lived in China and could bring the type of knowledge and eye for detail that would lend verisimilitude to the story.

After close collaboration, The Story About Ping , came out in 1933 at the bottom of the Great Depression. In one of those bad news that turns out to be good news turns of fortune, Flack and Wiese were received no money for the writing of this story and instead were to receive royalties on the sales. In the event, The Story About Ping , became a longstanding popular book for young children providing a steady income for Wiese.

In 1935, Honk, the Moose by Duffield Stong was released. In the illustrations of this ever popular story, which is based on actual events in a small town in Minnesota, two boys find they have taken on more than they bargained for when they start looking after a hungry moose who has wandered into town in mid-winter and taken up residence in the stables with the horses.

The Five Chinese Brothers , written by Claire Huchet Bishop and published in 1938, returned Wiese to China. Unlike the multicolor and relatively detailed style he used in Story About Ping, in The Five Chinese Brothers Wiese uses a much simpler drawing style and color scheme. Despite being almost cartoonish in style, the story of the five Chinese brothers, each with a unique and unusual gift, has managed to hold the fascination of children for seventy years.

Finally, there is the phenomenon of Freddy the Pig, twenty-six books written over thirty-one years between 1927 and 1958 by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese. The eponymous Freddy is one of a cast of barnyard characters and the series is driven by his various interests and pursuits (Freddy the Detective, Freddy the Politician, Freddy Plays Football, Freddy Goes to Florida, etc.) Unlike the other three which are firmly in the picture book category, the Freddy books are well illustrated chapter books for independent readers (though they are great books for reading to at bed time). The books were tremendously popular through the 1940’s and 1950’s, attracting a very loyal readership. The books went out of fashion and then out of print in the 1960’s but were revived, in part in response to quiet and persistent lobbying by die-hard fans, in the 1990’s.

Kurt Wiese effectively retired in the late 1960’s and after a long, adventurous and hugely productive life, passed away in New Jersey on May 27, 1974.

Picture Books

Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop and illustrated by Kurt Wiese Highly Recommended

Honk the Moose by Phil Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese Recommended

The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack and illustrated by Kurt Wiese Highly Recommended

Independent Reader

Daughter of the Mountains by Louise Rankin and illustrated by Kurt Wiese Suggested

Freddy and Simon the Dictator by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese Recommended

Freddy and the Baseball Team from Mars by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese Recommended

Freddy and the Dragon by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese Recommended

Freddy and the Flying Saucer Plans by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese Recommended

Freddy and the Ignormus by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese Recommended

Freddy and the Men from Mars by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese Recommended

Freddy Goes Camping by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese Recommended

Freddy the Pilot by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese Recommended

Li Lun, Lad of Courage by Carolyn Treffinger and illsutrated by Kurt Wiese Suggested

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling and illustrated by Kurt Wiese Suggested

Bibliography

Don: The Story of a Lion Dog by Zane Grey and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1928
Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1928
Karoo, the Kangaroo by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1929
The Chinese Ink Stick by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1929
Bambi by Felix Salten and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1929
Sheep by Archer Butler Gilfillan and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1929
Down in the Grass by Harold Kellock and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1929
Poodle-Oodle of Doddle Farm by Lawton and Ruth Mackall and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1929
Hindu Fables, for Little Children by Dhan Gopal Mukerji and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1929
Book of Mysteries Three Baffling Tales: The River Acres Riddle, Cat's Cradle, and The Hexagonal Chest by Augusta Seaman and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1929
Liang & Lo by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1930
Wallie the Walrus by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1930
The Hound of Florence by Felix Salten and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1930
Abschied vom paradies by Frank Thiess and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1930
The Adventures of Mario by Waldemar Bonsels and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1930
Wolf-Tracker by Zane Grey and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1930
Pal: The Story of an Airedale by Alexander C. Jenkins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1930
The Wreck of the Dumaru: A Story of Cannibalism in an Open Boat by Lowell Jackson Thomas and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1930
More to and Again by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1930
Ella, the Elephant by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1931
Joe Buys Nails by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1931
Ekorn by Hakkon Lie and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1931
North America: The Land They Live in for the Children Who Live There by Lucy Mitchell and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1931
Bunny, Hound, and Clown by Dhan Gopal Mukerji and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1931
The Parrot Dealer by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1932
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1932
Back of Time by Margaret Isabel Ross and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1932
City Jungle by Felix Salten and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1932
Wagtail by Alice Gall and F.H. Crew and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1932
Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Lewis and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1932
Freddy the Detective by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1932
Silver Chief, Dog of the North by Jack O'Brien and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1932
Jothy: A Story of the South Indian Jungle by Charlotte Chandler Wyckoff and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1933
The Story of Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1933
Story about Ping by Marjorie Flack and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1933
Me an' Pete by Wendell McKown and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1934
Our Planet, the Earth: Then and Now by Lillian Rifkin and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1934
Snowy for Luck by Arthur Russell Goode and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1934
Alexander: The Tale of a Monkey by Marion Brown and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1934
Ki-Yu: A Story of Panthers by R. L. H. Haig-Brown and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1934
Odie Seeks a Friend by Julius King and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1934
Ho-Ming, Girl of New China by Elizabeth Lewis and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1934
Farm Boy: A Hunt for Indian Treasure by Duffield Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1934
Peetie: The Story of a Real Cat by Inis Weed Jones and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1935
Camel Bells: A Boy of Baghdad by Anna Ratzesberger and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1935
River Children: A Story of Boat Life in China by Mary Hollister and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1935
Little Ones by Dorothy Kunhardt and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1935
Yen-Foh, a Chinese Boy by Ethel J. Eldridge and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1935
The Story of Freginald by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1935
Honk, the Moose by Duffield Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1935
Buddy the Bear by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1936
All the Mowgli Stories by Rudyard Kipling and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1936
Great Kipling Stories, biography of Kipling by Lowell Thomas by Rudyard Kipling and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1936
Attack, and Other Stories by Burdette Ross Buckingham and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1936
Too Many Bears, and Other Stories by Burdette Ross Buckingham and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1936
Ling, Grandson of Yen-Foh by Ethel J. Eldridge and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1936
Gay Pippo by Eleanor Fairchild Pease and Beatrice De Melik and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1936
Mulberry Village: A Story of Country Life in China by Mary Hollister and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1936
No-Stitch, the Hound by Duffield Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1936
Kurt Wiese's Picture Book of Animals (includes Ella, the Elephant, Karoo, the Kangaroo, and Wallie, the Walrus) by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1937
Ki-Ki, a Circus Trooper by Edith Janice Craine and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1937
Each in His Way: Stories of Famous Animals by Alice Gall and F. H. Crew and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1937
Jasmine: A Story of Present-Day Persia by Anna Ratzesberger and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1937
Beggars of Dreams by Mary Hollister and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1937
China Quest by Elizabeth Lewis and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1937
Cheeky, a Prairie Dog by Josephine Sanger Lau and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1937
Blue Mittens by Mary Katherine Reely and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1937
The Clockwork Twin by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1937
High Water by Duffield Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1937
Silver Chief to the Rescue by Jack O'Brien and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1937
Polar Bear Twins by Jane F. Tompkins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1937
The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
Animals of a Sagebrush Ranch by Alice Day Pratt and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
Carnival Time at Stroebeck by May V. Harris and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
The Streamlined Pig by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
Jasper, the Gypsy Dog by Mable (Chesley) Kahmann and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
Yinka-Tu, the Yak by Alice Lide and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
Donkey Beads: A Tale of a Persian Donkey by Anna Ratzesberger and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
Moo-Wee, the Musk-Ox by Jane F. Tompkins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
Tale of Two Horses by Aime Felix Tschiffely and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
Hidden Valley by Laura Benet and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
Hamlet, a Cocker Spaniel by Irma Black and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
The Blue Junk by Priscilla Holton and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
Kee-Kee and Company: A Story of American Children in China by Mary Hollister and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
Alice-Albert Elephant by Marjorie Hayes and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
Young Settler by Duffield Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
Corporal Corey, of the Royal Canadian Mounted by Jack O'Brien and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1938
Dirk's Dog by Meindert De Jong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1939
Kip, a Young Rooster by Irma Black and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1939
Cats for the Tooseys by Mabel Scudder La Rue and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1939
Joan and the Deer by Marjorie Medary and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1939
Three Sisters: The Story of the Soong Family of China by Cornelia Spencer and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1939
Crunch the Squirrel by Elizabeth Anne Bond and J. E. Rabin and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1939
Amandus, Who Was Much Too Big by Elsie and Morris Glenn and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1939
Saranga, the Pygmy by Attilio Gatti and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1939
The Trial of the Buffalo by Rutherford Montgomery and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1939
Blackfellow Bundi, a Native Australian Boy by Leila and W. K. Harris and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1939
Silk and Satin Lane by Esther Wood and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1939
Wiggins for President by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1939
Cowhand Goes to Town by Duffield Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1939
Penguin Twins by Jane F. Tompkins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1939
The Rabbits' Revenge by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1940
On Safari by Theodore J. Waldeck and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1940
Toco Toucan by William Bridges and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1940
Greased Lightning by Sterling North and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1940
Blue Butterfly Goes to South America by Ruth H. Hutchinson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1940
Pecos Bill and Lightning by Leigh Peck and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1940
Little Tooktoo: The Story of Santa Claus' Youngest Reindeer by Marie Ahnighito Stafford and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1940
Dogs by Albert Payson Terhune and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1940
With Love and Irony by Yu-t'ang Lin and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1940
Tito, the Pig of Guatemala by Charlotte E. Jackson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1940
Freddy's Cousin Weedly by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1940
Valiant, Dog of the Timberline by Jack O'Brien and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1940
Tapiola's Brave Regiment by Robert Nathan and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
The Ferryman by Claire Huchet Bishop and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
Bells of the Harbor by Meindert De Jong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
Muffly: The Tale of a Muskrat by Zenobia Bird and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
The Mystery Dogs of Glen Hazard by Maristan Chapman and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
Bambi's Children by (With Erna Pinner) Felix Salten and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
Animal Babies by Alice Day Pratt and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
In Defense of Mothers: How to Bring up Children in Spite of the More Zealous Psychologists by Leo Kanner and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
The White Panther by Theodore J. Waldeck and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
Freddy and the Ignormus by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
Alaska in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
Argentina in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
Brazil in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
Canada in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
Chile in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
Mexico in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
Panama in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
West Indies in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
Captain Kidd's Cow by Duffield Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
Snowshoe Twins by Jane F. Tompkins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1941
Little Boy Lost in Brazil by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Juneau, the Sleigh Dog by West Lathrop and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Favorite Stories Old and New by Sidonie M. Gruenberg and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Ootah and His Puppy by Marie Ahnighito Stafford and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Corn-Belt Billy by Mabel Leigh Hunt and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
White Stars of Freedom by Mirim Isasi and M. B. Denny and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Lions on the Hunt by Theodore J. Waldeck and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Angleworms on Toast by MacKinlay Cantor and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Nibs, the Orphan Deer of the Adirondacks by Don Lang and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Paddy's Christmas by Helen Albee Monsell and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
When the Typhoon Blows by Elizabeth Lewis and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Abraham Lincoln by Enid Meadowcroft and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Little Lost Monkey by JoBesse McElveen Waldeck and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Jamba the Elephant by Theodore J. Waldeck and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Tents in the Wilderness: The Story of a Labrador Indian Boy by Julius Ernst Lips and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Freddy and the Perilous Adventure by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Spike of Swift River by Jack O'Brien and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Bolivia in Story and Pictures by Bernadine Bailey and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Ecuador in Story and Pictures by Bernadine Bailey and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Greenland in Story and Pictures by Bernadine Bailey and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Guatemala in Story and Pictures by Bernadine Bailey and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Honduras in Story and Pictures by Bernadine Bailey and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Iceland in Story and Pictures by Bernadine Bailey and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Peru in Story and Pictures by Bernadine Bailey and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Venezuela in Story and Pictures by Bernadine Bailey and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Raccoon Twins by Jane F. Tompkins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1942
Made in China: The Story of China's Expression by Cornelia Spencer and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Adventure in Black and White by Attilio Gatti and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Igor's Summer: A Story of Our Russian Friends by Lorraine and Jerrold Beim and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Oswald's Pet Dragon by Carl Glick and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Roger and the Fishes by Charlotte E. Jackson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Puppy for Keeps by Quail Hawkins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Sly Mongoose by Katherine Pollock and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Tramp, the Sheep Dog by Don Lang and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Midnight and Jeremiah by Sterling North and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Mr. Red Squirrel by Thomas Pendleton Robinson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Freddy and the Bean Home News by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Missouri Canary by Duffield Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Return of Silver Chief by Jack O'Brien and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Costa Rica in Story and Pictures by Lois Donaldson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Nicaragua in Story and Pictures by Lois Donaldson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
El Salvador in Story and Pictures by Lois Donaldson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Uruguay in Story and Pictures by Lois Donaldson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1943
Central American Roundabout by Agnes Edward Rothery and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1944
The Adventures of Monkey (adapted from translation by Arthur Waley) by Wu Ch'eng-en and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1944
Freddy and Mr. Camphor by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1944
Colombia in Story and Pictures by Lois Donaldson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1944
Guiana in Story and Pictures by Lois Donaldson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1944
Newfoundland in Story and Pictures by Lois Donaldson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1944
Paraguay in Story and Pictures by Lois Donaldson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1944
You Can Write Chinese by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1945
The Wizard and His Magic Power: Tales of the Channel Islands by Alfred S. Campbell and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1945
Our Country by Lucy Mitchell and Dorothy Stall and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1945
Mpengo of the Congo by Grace Winifred McGavran and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1945
Hello, Alaska by Sarah Litchfield and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1945
Channel Islands by Alfred Stuart Campbell and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1945
A Very Special Pet by Lavinia Davis and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1945
The Eskimo Hunter by Florence Hayes and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1945
Freddy and the Popinjay by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1945
Censored, the Goat by Duffield Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1945
The Home-Builders by Warren Hastings Miller and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
The Picture Story of China by Emily Hahn and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
Australia Calling by Margaret L. Macpherson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
Wild West Bill Rides Home by Muriel F. Millen and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
This Is the Moon by Marion Cothren and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
Too Many Dogs by Quail Hawkins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
Jungle Journey by JoBesse McElveen Waldeck and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
Four Friends by Eleanor Hoffman and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
Mr. Two of Everything by M.S. Klutch and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
Freddy the Pied Piper by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
Australia in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
The Bahamas in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
Bermuda in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
British Honduras in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
Dominican Republic in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
Hawaii in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
New Zealand in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
The Virgin Islands in Story and Pictures by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1946
Li Lun, Lad of Courage by Carolyn Treffinger and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1947
Hoppity by Miriam Evangeline Mason and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1947
Abraham, the Itinerant Mouse by Donald Hutter and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1947
Dumblebum by Elsie and Morris Glenn and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1947
Freddy the Magician by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1947
Positive Pete! by Duffield Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1947
Fish in the Air by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1948
A Circus of Our Own by Irmengarde Eberle and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1948
White Leopard: A Tale of the African Bush by Inglis Fletcher and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1948
What Every Young Rabbit Should Know by Carol Denison and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1948
Lost Horizon by James Hilton and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1948
Dike against the Sea by Mary Hollister and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1948
Ranger, Sea Dog of the Royal Mounted by Charles Stanley Strong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1948
Go West, Young Bear by Elizabeth Hamilton and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1948
Daughter of the Mountains by Louise S. Rankin and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1948
Rosie, the Rhino by Marion Conger and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1948
Freddy Goes Camping by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1948
Boating Is Fun by Ruth Brindze and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1949
Anabel's Windows by Agnes Hewes and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1949
Bob Clifton, Elephant Hunter by Dock Hogue and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1949
Magic Firecrackers by Mitchell Dawson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1949
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic by Betty Heskett MacDonald and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1949
Little Circus Dog by Jene Barr and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1949
The Golden Door: A Story of Liberty's Children by Hertha Ernestine Pauli and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1949
The Most Beautiful House, and Other Stories by Hertha Ernestine Pauli and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1949
Laughing Matter by Helen R. Smith and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1949
Little Prairie Dog by Jene Barr and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1949
Freddy Goes to Florida by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1949
Freddy the Explorer by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1949
Freddy Plays Football by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1949
Su-Mei's Golden Year by Marguerite Harmon Bro and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1950
Bob Clifton, Jungle Traveler by Dock Hogue and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1950
The Flowered Donkey by Margaret Mackay and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1950
The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1950
Etuk, the Eskimo Hunter by Miriam Macmillan and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1950
The Walking Hat by William N. Hall and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1950
Lucky Days for Johnny by Irene Smith and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1950
Freddy the Cowboy by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1950
Hirum, the Hillbilly by Duffield Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1950
The Prince and the Porker by Duffield Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1950
Red Squirrel Twins by Jane F. Tompkins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1950
Tommy's Wonderful Airplane by Eleanor Lowenton Clymer and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1951
Bob Clifton, Congo Crusader by Dock Hogue and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1951
Down the Road with Johnny by Irene Smith and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1951
Round Meadow by John Oldrin and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1951
The House with Red Sails by Leone Adelson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1951
The Poetic Parrot by Margaret Mackay and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1951
Roundhouse Cat, and Other Railroad Animals by Freeman Henry Hubbard and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1951
The Adventures of Wu Han of Korea by Albert J. Nevins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1951
The Jungle Twins by Irma Roberts and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1951
Freddy Rides Again by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1951
Royal Red by Jack O'Brien and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1951
Happy Easter by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1952
Skeeter: The Story of an Arabian Gazelle by Robert Shaffer and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1952
The Adventures of Kenji of Japan by Albert J. Nevins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1952
Children of the Blizzard by Heluiz Chandler Washburne and Anauta Blackmore and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1952
The Wonderful Adventures of Ting Ling by Vernon Bowen and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1952
Ranger's Arctic Patrol by Charles Stanley Strong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1952
The Moffats, New edition by Ethel Daniels Hubbard and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1952
The Train That Never Came Back, and Other Railroad Stories by Freeman Henry Hubbard and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1952
Nibby by Ann Meyer and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1952
Freddy and Freginald by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1952
Freddy the Pilot by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1952
Black Bear Twins by Jane F. Tompkins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1952
The Dog, the Fox, and the Fleas by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1953
Snow for Christmas by Vernon Bowen and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1953
Laurie by Estelle Barnes Clapp and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1953
Ning's Pony by Hester Hawkes and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1953
Amos, the Beagle with a Plan by John Parke and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1953
All about Volcanoes and Earthquakes by Frederick Harvey Pough and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1953
Famous Bridges of the World by David Barnard Steinman and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1953
Bob Clifton, African Planter by Dock Hogue and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1953
Many Hands in Many Lands by Alice Kelsey and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1953
The Adventures of Pancho of Peru by Albert J. Nevins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1953
Collected Poems of Freddy the Pig by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1953
Freddy and the Spaceship by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1953
Your Breakfast and the People Who Made It by Benjamin C. Gruenberg and Leone Adelson and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1954
The Adventures of Ramon of Bolivia by Albert J. Nevins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1954
Stories of Jesus by Ethel Lisle Smither and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1954
Early Old Testament Stories by Ethel Lisle Smither and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1954
Freddy and the Men from Mars by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1954
Silver Chief's Revenge by Jack O'Brien and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1954
Porcupine Twins by Jane F. Tompkins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1954
Livingston, the Pathfinder by Basil Joseph Mathews and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1955
Bright Pathways by Esma Booth and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1955
Copydog in India by Stringfellow Barr and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1955
The Adventures of Duc of Indochina by Albert J. Nevins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1955
First to Be Called Christians by Ethel Lisle Smither and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1955
Quest of the Snow Leopard by Roy Chapman Andrews and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1955
Kim of Korea by Faith Grigsby Norris and Peter Lumn and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1955
Lions in the Barn by Virginia Frances Voight and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1955
Freddy and the Baseball Team from Mars by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1955
A Beast Called an Elephant by Duffield Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1955
Otter Twins by Jane F. Tompkins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1955
The Cunning Turtle by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1956
Later Old Testament Stories by Ethel Lisle Smither and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1956
Day after Tomorrow by Alice Hudson Lewis and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1956
Three Seeds by Hester Hawkes and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1956
Eight Rings on His Tail: A Round Meadow Story by John Oldrin and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1956
Rolling Show by Virginia Frances Voight and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1956
Where Any Young Cat Might Be by Carol Denison and Jane Cummin and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1956
Freddy and Simon the Dictator by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1956
Reindeer Twins by Jane F. Tompkins and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1956
Limpy: Tale of a Monkey Hero by Hyde Matzdorff and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1957
Great All-Star Animal League Ball Game by Vincent Starrett and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1957
All about Great Rivers of the World by Anne Terry White and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1957
Freddy and the Flying Saucer Plans by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1957
Mike: The Story of a Young Circus Acrobat by Duffield Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1957
Great Gravity, the Cat by Johanna Johnston and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1958
Freddy and the Dragon by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1958
The Groundhog and His Shadow by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1959
Rocco Came In by John Beecroft and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1959
Alaskan Hunter by Florence Hayes and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1959
Pika and the Roses by Elizabeth Coatsworth and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1959
The Flute Player of Beppu by Kathryn Gallant and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1960
What? Another Cat! by John Beecroft and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1960
Cuddle Bear of Piney Forest by Anne M. Halladay and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1960
Mr. Piper's Bus by Eleanor Lowenton Clymer and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1961
Phil Stong's Big Book (includes Farm Boy: A Hunt for Indian Treasure, High Water, and No-Stitch, the Hound) by Duffield Stong and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1961
Silver from the Sea by Ruth Tooze and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1962
Amat and the Water Buffalo by Jeanette Guillaume and M. L. Bachmann and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1962
Rabbit Brothers Circus: One Night Only by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1963
The Thames, London's River by Noel Streatfield and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1964
Twenty-Two Bears by Claire Huchet Bishop and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1964
The Thief in the Attic by Kurt Wiese and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1965
Our Nation's Capital, Washington, D.C. by Bernadine Bailey and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1967
The Truffle Pig by Claire Huchet Bishop and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1971
The White Leopard: A Tale of the African Bush by Inglis Fletcher and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 1978
The Wit and Wisdom of Freddy and His Friends by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 2000
Freddy and the Perilous Adventure by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 2001
Freddy Goes to the North Pole by Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese 2001
The King and the Princess by Jack O'Brien and illustrated by Kurt Wiese

Born November 21, 1908 in Melrose, Massachusetts
Died November 15, 1994 in Tucson, Arizona

There are many parallels between the career of Elizabeth George Speare and that of Virginia Lee Burton despite their writing a generation apart. They were both New England natives, they both spent much of their life focused on their family and came to their writing careers later, and they both produced a body of work which, although small, was both critically and popularly acclaimed.

Their differences were in the audience for which they wrote (Speare wrote for independent readers and young adults whereas Burton, as an artist, focused on picture books for younger children) and the material about which they wrote. Burton’s picture book stories are all problem solving themes – being resourceful and working with and within your community to solve some problem. Speare wrote historical fiction for independent readers and has many more layers to her tales.

Elizabeth George was born November 21, 1908 in Melrose, Massachusetts and enjoyed an unusually bucolic childhood. She wrote in More Junior Authors that she felt her birthplace to be

an ideal place in which to have grown up, close to fields and woods where we hiked and picnicked, and near to Boston where we frequently had family treats of theaters and concerts. Every summer we went to the shore, where we stayed on a hill with a breathtaking view of the ocean, with fields and daisies and blueberries, and lovely secret paths through the woods, but, except for my small brother, not another young person anywhere. As I grew older I realized that those lonely summers had been a special gift for which I would always be grateful. I had endless golden days to read and think and dream, and it was then that I discovered the absorbing occupation of writing stories.

I went on writing stories all through high school, but I never again had much time to be alone. I went to Boston University and on to graduate school, and then I taught in Massachusetts high schools. I very much enjoyed teaching English because it was always a thrill to watch some girl or boy discover for the first time the enchantment of reading and writing.

She married Alden Speare in 1936. They moved to Connecticut and in 1939 their son Alden, Jr. was born followed, in 1942, by Mary. The next several years were absorbed by raising her children and it was not until they were in high school that Speare began to turn her hand to writing again, first with articles for women’s magazines and the like but ultimately leading to an article being accepted by American Heritage, a forum for writing much more akin to the genre in which she made her reputation.

Speare only published eight books in total, four of which were adult books. Her first novel, Calico Captive, was written for children and was published in 1957, followed a year later by The Witch of Blackbird Pond. In 1961 she published The Bronze Bowwhich was followed by a twenty-two year hiatus during which no children’s books were published. In 1983 she released her last book which was also her last children’s book, The Sign of the Beaver.

What is remarkable here is the critical reception. Of her four children’s books, two (The Witch of Blackbird Pond and The Bronze Bow) received The Newberry Medal, the highest award for writing, and a third, The Sign of the Beaver, was a runner-up receiving the Newberry Honor Medal. The decision by the judges for a Newberry Medal for The Witch of Blackbird Pond was apparently a very rare unanimous decision. Many successful authors of children’s books go their whole career without any Newberry recognition. For an author to receive two medals and an honor and for that to reflect three quarters of her books is without precedent.

Her one book not to receive a Newberry, despite its popular reception on its debut, was her first, Calico Captive. I think it is fair to speculate that the judges might have been influenced by Lois Lenski’s having won a Newberry Honor for a similarly themed story, Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison sixteen years earlier in 1942.

Lenski and Speare shared a similar passion for detailed research, research that gave their stories such immediacy and veracity.

In order to truly share the adventures of my imaginary people, I had to know many things about them – the houses they lived in, the clothes they wore, the food they ate, how they made a living, what they did for fun, what things they talked about, cared about. You can call this research if you like, but that seems to me a dull word for such a fascinating pursuit. (From an interview conducted by Lee Bennett Hopkins and recorded in Pauses.)

She also indicated in Anita Silvey’s Children’s Books and Their Creators

Young readers write to me, “How did you learn about Indians?” or about life in colonial times? The answer, of course, is research, a word most students seem to find forbidding. To me, it is an ever-fascinating game which I have likened to a scavenger hunt. I go to the library with a long list of items I must find. And turning the pages of some long-forgotten book in a dusty corner, I come upon unexpected treasures, bright bits of history.

And later

Not all the discoveries are in libraries. At a local fair, I watched a woman demonstrating the art of spinning. The colonists, she told me, used a mixture of wool and flax, and, she said, it was the scratchiest clothing you could imagine. I thought of boys sitting for hours on school benches, in their homespun linsey-woolsey clothes, waiting patiently for a turn to read from the book held in the teacher’s hand.

Calico Captive is a fictionalized account based on a true story recorded in the diary of Susanna Johnson relating the capture of herself and her family in 1807 by Abenaki Indians during the French and Indian War; their forced march from New Hampshire to Canada; and their eventual rescue when they were ransomed. American’s have a very rich, moving and surprisingly balanced literary heritage of stories relating to being captured by Native Americans: how some captives died, some integrated with the tribe, and some returned. For an adult book on this topic, (also appropriate for Young Adults with a strong interest in history) try The Unredeemed Captive by John Demos.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond is not based so narrowly on a single event or character but is historical fiction based on the broader events of a period (1687 and the Puritans’ persecution of “witches”) made real through a fictional character, Kit Tyler who, as an outside from Barbados, is already somewhat beyond the pale, and through her association and friendship with an older woman on the fringe of Puritan society, becomes suspected of being a witch.

The Bronze Bow has a narrower fan base than Speare’s other three books but it has a particularly enthusiastic following, in part because of the immediacy of Speare’s writing style and in part because it is the only one of her books set in a completely different time and location. The Bronze Bow recounts the trials and gradual maturing and enlightenment of an embittered Jewish boy resentful of the Romans’ occupation of Palestine. Speare handles the delicacies of historically writing about Jesus with remarkable finesse.

Her final book, The Sign of the Beaver, is perhaps her most sympathetic to Native Americans. Again, Speare bases her story on a true event. The setting is 1768 in colonial Maine and involves the story of thirteen-year old Matt. Matt’s father has had to leave him temporarily on his own in the wilderness to guard their new home while he travels to fetch Matt’s mother and sister from the coast. Temporarily turns out to be for the whole summer and autumn and Matt has to learn how to survive on his own, fend for himself, and then, as a further complication that turns into a blessing, figure out how to address two Penobscot Indians, an old man and his grandson who appear in his neighborhood. It is sort of a blend of My Side of the Mountain with a story of cultural discovery.

Speare’s writing is always well-researched and characterized by attention to detail and setting, character development and compelling narrative. It is understandable why it has been said that it is a rare graduate of high school that makes it through without reading at least one of her four wonderful books.

Independent Reader

Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare and illustrated by W.T. Mars Highly Recommended

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare Recommended

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare Recommended

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare Recommended

Born August 15, 1854 in London, England
Died May 4, 1924 in Kent, England

If you like your children’s authors to be moral paragons, vignettes of virtue and models of rectitude, you are going to need to give Edith Nesbit a pass. In doing so, though, you will be cutting your kids off from some of the best gems in children’s literature. The politest gloss to put on it is that Edith Nesbit lived an unconventional life. Closer to the truth would be to say that her life was something of a mess.

Nesbit lived and worked in that late Victorian and Edwardian period of intellectual and social effervescence in England, when, what today would be called the chattering classes, began to experiment with new social mores and patterns of living that at first seemed refreshingly liberating from the seemingly unremitting and unglamorous pursuit of gradual personal -improvement-through-deeds so prevalent in the Victorian era. There was a desire to fix the world and make it a better place by blazing new trails. Sort of Woodstock comes to Literary England.

Nesbit was born the youngest of a family of six children in 1854 in London. Her father, an agricultural chemist who ran what now might be termed a technical school, died when she was three years old. She was sent away to boarding school and then joined her mother and sister shuttling around Europe for the next several years, seeking some respite for her sister’s illness. She lived and was educated in France, Germany, and Spain before they returned to Britain in 1872, settling initially in Kent and then moving to London.

There she met a philandering but apparently very attractive, Hubert Bland, whom she married in 1880. Nesbit was many months pregnant when they wed. She then discovered that Bland had an ongoing relationship (which would last a further ten years) with another woman, also pregnant. Shortly after they wed, Bland’s business partner embezzled most of the funds from his business and ran off. Bland meanwhile came down with smallpox and in one way or another was commercially incapacitated for a number of years.

This left Nesbit in the position of suddenly being, like the mother figures in a number of her later children’s stories, the sole provider for the family. She filled this financial void by becoming a writer of verse, short stories and articles for the many magazines prevalent in those times. For the better part of twenty years she turned out a massive volume of stories, publishing her first book in 1885. While some of this work was for children, much of it was for adults or was verse. It was not unusual for her to write half a dozen or more books in a year. With few exceptions, this torrent was not particularly distinguished and is only remembered now in the context of her later work in children’s literature.

Meanwhile, her home life remained distinctive. A close friend came to stay with Nesbit following a miscarriage. This friend, in turn, became pregnant by Nesbit’s husband, not once but twice. By agreement on the part of all parties, Nesbit raised all five children (her own three with Bland as well as their two siblings) as her own and it was only much later that this complex arrangement was revealed, despite the fact that the close friend lived with them as an “Aunt”. Oh what a tangled web we weave . . .

And yet from this morass of personal chaos, Nesbit snatched two rabbits from the hat. Unprecedented in her pedestrian literary track record, and as if from nowhere, in 1899, Nesbit published the first of a series of books that over the next decade were to cement her position as one of a handful of pivotal children’s authors. The Story of the Treasure Seekers is the tale of the Bastable children. It was a popular, commercial and literary success.

With her Bastable stories (The Story of the Treasure Seekers, The Wouldbegoods, and The New Treasure Seekers) Nesbit did something not really done before. She put the children in the center of the stage, not acted upon but as the actors, the real protagonists with their own story to tell. On the one hand these stories very much reflect a Victorian past with an emphasis on behaving well, being responsible, etc. You can also see a Victorian flavor in the stories in the fact that there is a distinctly sentimental element. That being said, in our much more jaded century, that fillip of sentimentality actually has a nice ring to it, especially as it only shows up in moderation.

Nesbit’s twist to her stories was that she decanted these moral expectations through the mind and behavior of children. The stories are narrated by the children (though it is not immediately obvious that that is the case) with a knowing, and sometimes jaundiced, perspective of the adults around them. This style of narration was a huge innovation compared to what had gone before. Suddenly, child readers had peers within the text; children with similar pleasures, frustrations, incomprehensions of what was expected of them, and with similar - often flawed - reasoning. What is a transparently knot-headed course of action by the children in the story seems perfectly sensible when you are shown their reasoning.

Beyond representing the puzzlement with which children often view the world of the adult, and showing the child’s reasoning that so often leads them into a course of action completely bewildering to an adult, Nesbit also introduced her children as flawed characters and not little models of perfection that just need a little buffing and polishing here and there. They make bad decisions, they make mistakes, they break things, they quarrel with one another, repeatedly, etc. This mold-breaking innovation, seeing and representing the world through the eyes of children, was much emulated by future writers and you can see Nesbit’s influence in Enid Blyton, Edward Eager, C.S. Lewis, Noel Streatfeild, Noel Coward, E.M. Forster and others. Though not one of the Bastable series, and in fact probably better known in the USA than that series, Nesbit’s The Railway Children, was very much in the same vein as the other three.

As if one innovation were not enough, Nesbit then added a further development with a new series of stories starting with Five Children and It published in 1902. In this series, (Five Children and It , The Phoenix and the Carpet, and The Story of the Amulet), Nesbit took her earlier model of the Bastables (independent children operating outside the direct supervision of adults (and much perplexed by the adult world and its peculiar expectations and customs) and added an element of magic and fantasy to it. It was not a wild deus ex machina type of fantasy, just a narrow little one – in fact almost small enough to be believable in the imagination of a child.

Meet the Psammead, an ancient and irascible sand-fairy whom the children unearth in a gravel pit. The wonderful feature of the Psammead is that it has to grant the children with a wish each day with the caveat that the wish and its immediate effects expire at sundown. This wish is the engine that drives all their adventures as the children learn to be careful of that for which they wish.

Nesbit was something of a bridge between past and future. With her emphasis on good behavior and doing the right thing, coupled with the strong but selective use of sentimentality in her stories, she was very much a product of the Victorian era. However, through her portrayal of children as real and central to her stories and her use of magic and fantasy, she presaged much of the wonderful children’s stories yet to come.

Two other Nesbit books continue to engage children today, The Enchanted Castle and The House of Arden published in 1907 and 1908 respectively. In both these tales, in some ways similar to the others, there is an increasing awareness of darkness and of the complexity of magic. Not horror stories by any means nor depressing, but they have a tension and strain in them that sets them apart from the earlier tales and appeal because they are more complex.

Part of the beauty of Nesbit’s work is that it does have broad appeal. In all the books mentioned there are children ranging from very young up to fifteen or so. They therefore have the attraction that, if you are reading to an audience of children not of the same age, everyone will usually find someone in the story with whom to associate. Her writing also deepened and became more complex over the decade of 1900-1910, so you can find stories that range from light and direct to more complex all depending on the tastes of the child reading.

To a degree, Nesbit was a cipher onto which later literary critics are able to project a very wide range of divergent images and interpretations. She was unconventional in the extreme in her personal deportment, but very much a patriot and moralist. She eschewed the intrusion of strong messages and religion into her stories and, yet, she was an enthusiastic political activist (and early co-founder of the Fabian Society). She traveled amongst the leading literary lights of her time such as H.G. Wells and Bernard Shaw. She wrote a mass of unmemorable verse and adult books and regarded herself as primarily a poet, but she is remembered really only for her innovative children’s stories.

After the passing of her husband, Bland, in 1914, Nesbit married Thomas Tucker, a retired marine engineer in 1917. With this marriage, Nesbit found a far greater level of stability and affection than she had experienced in her earlier life. Nesbit passed away May 4, 1924 following complications from an extended bout of bronchitis.

While relatively little-known in the US she remains notably popular in the UK and her books are a delight to share with children.

Picture Books

Jack And the Beanstalk by Edith Nesbit and illustrated by Matt Tavares Suggested

Independent Readers

Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit and illustrated by H.R. Millar Highly Recommended

Lionel And The Book Of Beasts by Edith Nesbit and illustrated by Michael Hague Suggested

Melisenda by Edith Nesbit and illustrated by P. J. Lynch Suggested

The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit and illustrated by C.E. Brock Highly Recommended

Shakespeare's Stories for Young Readers by Edith Nesbit Suggested

The Best of Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit Suggested

The Book of Dragons by Edith Nesbit and illustrated by H. R. Millar & Herbert Granville Fell Suggested

The Children's Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit and William Shakespeare and illustrated by Rolf Klep Suggested

The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky Recommended

The House of Arden by Edith Nesbit Recommended

The Magic World by Edith Nesbit Suggested

The Phoenix and the Carpet by Edith Nesbit and illustrated by H. R. Millar Highly Recommended

The Story of the Amulet by Edith Nesbit and illustrated by H. R. Millar Recommended

The Story of the Treasure Seekers by Edith Nesbit and illustrated by Gordon Browne & Lewis Christopher Edward Baumer Highly Recommended

William Shakespeare, Stories from Twenty Plays - by Edith Nesbit and Shakespeare Suggested

The Wouldbegoods - by Edith Nesbit Recommended

Bibliography

The Prophet's Mantle by Edith Nesbit 1885
Lays and Legends by Edith Nesbit 1886
Spring [ Summer, Autumn, Winter] Songs and Sketches by Edith Nesbit 1886
The Lily and the Cross by Edith Nesbit 1887
The Star of Bethlehem by Edith Nesbit 1887
Eventide Songs and Sketches by Edith Nesbit 1887
Morning Songs and Sketches by Edith Nesbit 1887
Leaves of Life by Edith Nesbit 1888
The Better Part and Other Poems by Edith Nesbit 1888
Easter-Tide: Poems by Edith Nesbit 1888
The Time of Roses by Edith Nesbit 1888
By Land and Sea by Edith Nesbit 1888
Landscape and Song by Edith Nesbit 1888
The Message of the Dove: An Easter Poem by Edith Nesbit 1888
Lilies and Heartsease: Songs and Sketches by Edith Nesbit 1888
The Lilies 'round the Cross: An Easter Memorial by Edith Nesbit 1889
Corals and Sea Songs by Edith Nesbit 1889
Life's Sunny Side by Edith Nesbit 1889
Songs of Two Seasons by Edith Nesbit 1890
The Voyage of Columbus, 1492: The Discovery of America by Edith Nesbit 1892
Sweet Lavender by Edith Nesbit 1892
Listen Long and Listen Well by Edith Nesbit 1893
Sunny Tales for Snowy Days by Edith Nesbit 1893
Told by Sunbeams and Me by Edith Nesbit 1893
Our Friends and All about Them by Edith Nesbit 1893
Something Wrong by Edith Nesbit 1893
Grim Tales by Edith Nesbit 1893
Flowers I Bring and Songs I Sing by Edith Nesbit 1893
Fur and Feathers: Tales for All Weathers by Edith Nesbit 1894
Hollow Tree House and Other Stories by Edith Nesbit 1894
Lads and Lassies by Edith Nesbit 1894
Tales That Are True, for Brown Eyes and Blue by Edith Nesbit 1894
Tales to Delight from Morning till Night by Edith Nesbit 1894
Hours in Many Lands: Stories and Poems by Edith Nesbit 1894
The Butler in Bohemia by Edith Nesbit 1894
A Family's Novelette by Edith Nesbit 1894
The Girl's Own Birthday Book by Edith Nesbit 1894
Doggy Tales by Edith Nesbit 1895
Pussy Tales by Edith Nesbit 1895
Tales of the Clock by Edith Nesbit 1895
Dulcie's Lantern and Other Stories by Edith Nesbit 1895
Treasures from Storyland by Edith Nesbit 1895
The King's Highway by Edith Nesbit 1895
Holly and Mistletoe: A Book of Christmas Verse by Edith Nesbit 1895
A Pomander of Verse by Edith Nesbit 1895
Rose Leaves by Edith Nesbit 1895
The Poet's Whispers: A Birthday Book by Edith Nesbit 1895
As Happy as a King by Edith Nesbit 1896
In Homespun by Edith Nesbit 1896
Tales Told in Twilight: A Volume of Very Short Stories by Edith Nesbit 1897
Diana Forget by Edith Nesbit 1897
The Children's Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit 1897
Royal Children of English History by Edith Nesbit 1897
Dog Tales, and Other Tales by Edith Nesbit 1898
Songs of Love and Empire by Edith Nesbit 1898
A Book of Dogs, Being a Discourse on Them, with Many Tales and Wonders by Edith Nesbit 1898
Winter-Snow by Edith Nesbit 1898
Pussy and Doggy Tales by Edith Nesbit 1899
The Secret of the Kriels by Edith Nesbit 1899
The Story of the Treasure Seekers, Being the Adventures of the Bastable Children in Search of a Fortune by Edith Nesbit 1900
The Book of Dragons by Edith Nesbit 1900
Nine Unlikely Tales for Children by Edith Nesbit 1901
The Wouldbegoods, Being the Further Adventures of the Treasure Seekers by Edith Nesbit 1901
The Town in the Library by Edith Nesbit 1901
To Wish You Every Joy by Edith Nesbit 1901
Thirteen Ways Home by Edith Nesbit 1901
The Revolt of the Toys and What Comes of Quarrelling by Edith Nesbit 1902
Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit 1902
The Red House by Edith Nesbit 1902
Playtime Stories by Edith Nesbit 1903
The Rainbow Queen and Other Stories by Edith Nesbit 1903
The Literary Sense by Edith Nesbit 1903
The Story of the Five Rebellious Dolls by Edith Nesbit 1904
The New Treasure Seekers by Edith Nesbit 1904
Cat Tales by Edith Nesbit 1904
The Phoenix and the Carpet by Edith Nesbit 1904
Pug Peter: King of Mouseland, Marquis of Barkshire, D.O.G. P.C. by Edith Nesbit 1905
Oswald Bastable and Others by Edith Nesbit 1905
The Philandrist; or, The Lady Fortune-Teller by Edith Nesbit 1905
The Rainbow and the Rose by Edith Nesbit 1905
The Story of the Amulet by Edith Nesbit 1906
The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit 1906
The Incomplete Amorist by Edith Nesbit 1906
Man and Maid by Edith Nesbit 1906
The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit 1907
The Magician's Heart by Edith Nesbit 1907
Twenty Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare: A Home Study Course by Edith Nesbit 1907
The House of Arden by Edith Nesbit 1908
Ballads and Lyrics of Socialism, 1883-1908 by Edith Nesbit 1908
Jesus in London: A Poem by Edith Nesbit 1908
The Old Nursery Stories by Edith Nesbit 1908
Harding's Luck by Edith Nesbit 1909
Cinderella (produced in London, 1892) by Edith Nesbit 1909
Daphne in Fitzroy Street by Edith Nesbit 1909
Salome and the Head: A Modern Melodrama by Edith Nesbit 1909
These Little Ones by Edith Nesbit 1909
The Magic City by Edith Nesbit 1910
Fear by Edith Nesbit 1910
The Wonderful Garden; or, The Three C's by Edith Nesbit 1911
Dormant by Edith Nesbit 1911
Ballads and Verses of the Spiritual Life by Edith Nesbit 1911
My Sea-Side Book by Edith Nesbit 1911
The Magic World by Edith Nesbit 1912
Unexceptional References by Edith Nesbit 1912
Garden Poems by Edith Nesbit 1912
Wet Magic by Edith Nesbit 1913
Our New Story Book by Edith Nesbit 1913
Wings and the Child; or, The Building of Magic Cities by Edith Nesbit 1913
Children's Stories from English History by Edith Nesbit 1914
Battle Songs by Edith Nesbit 1914
The Incredible Honeymoon by Edith Nesbit 1916
The New World Literary Series, Book Two by Edith Nesbit 1921
The Lark by Edith Nesbit 1922
Many Voices by Edith Nesbit 1922
Hubert Bland, Essays by Edith Nesbit 1922
To the Adventurous by Edith Nesbit 1923
Five of Us--and Madeline by Edith Nesbit 1925
Long Ago When I Was Young by Edith Nesbit 1966
The Conscience Pudding by Edith Nesbit 1970
The Last of the Dragons, and Some Others by Edith Nesbit 1972
The Princess and the Hedgehog by Edith Nesbit 1974
The Old Nursery Stories by Edith Nesbit 1975
Septimus Septimusson by Edith Nesbit 1976
Fairy Stories by Edith Nesbit 1977
The Princess and the Cat by Edith Nesbit 1977
The Ice Dragon by Edith Nesbit 1977
Belinda and Bellament by Edith Nesbit 1982
E. Nesbit's Tales of Terror by Edith Nesbit 1983
The Cockatoucan by Edith Nesbit 1987
The Book of Beasts by Edith Nesbit 1988
In the Dark: Tales of Terror by Edith Nesbit 1988
Melisenda by Edith Nesbit 1989
Man-size in Marble by Edith Nesbit 1997
The Best of Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit 1997
Contributor to A Feast of Good Stories by Edith Nesbit 1997
Jack and the Beanstalk by Edith Nesbit 2006
Lionel and the Book of Beasts by Edith Nesbit 2006
Shakespeare's Stories for Young Readers by Edith Nesbit 2006
The Enchanted Castle and Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit

Born May 15, 1856 in Chittenango, New York
Died May 6, 1919 in Hollywood, California

What an inventive gift giver he was, L(yman) Frank Baum. “The man behind the curtain”, “the cowardly lion”, “the tin man”, “We’re not in Kansas anymore”; our language and culture are distinctly peppered with his legacy, but it was a legacy the magnitude of which he did not quite comprehend. His life was characterized by innovation, commercial daring and serial commercial failure before finally beginning to find some success with his writings for children.

Baum was a man of many parts. In his time he turned his hand, with varying degrees of success, to an astonishing range of activities, ever seeking some financial security for himself, his wife and four boys. As many things as he tried, it is surprising just how many he turned out to be at least reasonably good at, but always it seems, the timing was just not right, or he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The path towards success was not smooth, straight or even and included stints as manager of an opera house; founder and manager of a theatrical company; playwright, actor; musical composer and lyricist; axle grease manufacturer and salesman; department store founder and manager; newspaper publisher; journalist; newspaper editor; traveling salesman selling chinaware; founder of a trade journal called The Show Window for window trimmers; theatrical producer; and, finally, founder of a film company.

In every one of these endeavors Baum brought enthusiasm, optimism, a sense of the dramatic and an enduring inventiveness. In some ways, Baum was your classic entrepreneur, but one whose business endied up being writing children’s stories.

Born May 15th, 1856 in upstate New York in the small town of Chittenango, (west of Syracuse), Baum was the sixth child of Benjamin Ward Baum and his wife Cynthia Stanton Baum. Three of Baum’s older siblings died in their infancy or childhood and Baum himself was plagued with a bad heart which restricted his activities as a child. In all, there were nine children, four of whom died in their infancy.

The family into which he was born was relatively prosperous. His father was a barrel-maker but had made a fortune in the early days of the Pennsylvania oil fields. He grew up in the family mansion, Rose Lawn, surrounded by acres and acres of lawn and grounds. Because of his poor health, most of Baum’s education was conducted at home. He had a brief and unhappy spell (two years) when he was twelve at the Peekskill Military Academy before returning home. At fifteen, his father purchased a small printing press from which Baum and his brother published a neighborhood paper, The Rose Lawn Journal.

In 1881, at the age of twenty-six, Baum set off to New York to pursue a career in theater. Family productions had been a feature of life at Rose Lawn and early on Baum had been smitten with a love of the theater. He toured with a small repertory company and then, with the financial backing of an uncle, opened Baum’s Opera House. Unfortunately this structure burned down within a year of opening. In the meantime, Baum had written the music and lyrics for a musical The Maid of Arran, which he then produced. Starting in the hinterlands, The Maid of Arran proved to be a popular success and ultimately arrived in New York.

It was at this time, 1882, that Baum met his soon-to-be wife, Maude Gage, daughter of noted suffragist, Matilda Gage. Maude Gage was at that point a sophomore at Cornell University and her mother Matilda vigorously objected to the marriage both on the grounds of finishing her education as well as on the somewhat chancy prospects of the groom as an actor. Maude Gage, however, was convinced that this was the man for her and they married in November, 1882 and remained happily wed until Baum’s death nearly forty years later. And despite her well-founded misgivings, we owe Matilda Gage a debt of gratitude for it was her promptings years later that led Baum to record the stories he had created for his children.

At the conclusion of the successful run of The Maid of Arran, Baum and his wife returned to Syracuse where he entered the family oil business, eventually marketing a manufactured axle grease invented by one of his brothers.

Baum’s father passed in 1887 as did the family fortune. Maude Baum had many family members who had moved west to the newly opened Dakota territories and in 1888 Frank and Maud along with their two young sons moved to Aberdeen, South Dakota, a small boom town of 3,000. Baum used the accumulated capital from his axle grease business to open a department store in Aberdeen. Unfortunately the timing, as so often in his life, was disastrous: the boom petered out and the upscale department store had to close its doors within a year.

Drawing, perhaps, on his youthful publishing experience, Baum then launched a newspaper, the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer. Striking a reasonably progressive editorial tone as an advocate of women’s suffrage, Baum was no more commercially successful with his newspaper than his earlier ventures and the doors were closed in 1891 as the local population shrank following the earlier boom.

At this point Baum had a wife and four sons to support so they moved to Chicago where Baum quickly got - and then resigned from - a post as an editor at the Chicago Post. Once again Baum returned to an old demonstrated skill, this time selling not axle grease, but crockery. While it was not a job likely to fulfill such an imaginative and venturesome person, it did put bread on the table.

Baum was a gifted story-teller and loved to entertain his children with tales he retold and tales he made up. He had a particular love of language, words and puns. With his extensive travel in pursuit of sales, he had plenty of time to write out stories that he could then tell his boys on his return. Hearing her son-in-law entertaining the boys with these tales, Matilda Gage suggested that Baum collect these stories and publish them as a book. Which he did.

In 1897, Way & Williams brought out Mother Goose in Prose by L. Frank Baum. Interestingly it was the first book for his illustrator as well, Maxfield Parrish who went on to a distinguished illustration and art career as well. While having written a handful of pamphlets in the 1870’s, plays in the 1880’s and newspaper’s in the early 1890’s this, at the age of forty-one was Baum’s first book.

In a missive to his sister at about this time, Baum indicated that, “When I was young, I longed to write a great novel that should win me fame. Now I am getting old, my first book is written to amuse children. For, aside from my evident inability to do anything ‘great,’ I have learned to regard fame as a will-o-the-wisp which, when caught, is not worth the possession; but to please a child is a sweet and lovely thing that warms one’s heart and brings its own rewards.”

Mother Goose in Prose was reasonably well received and Baum wrote a second book, Father Goose: His Book. Unlike the black and white illustrations of the first book, and showing that flair for the visually dramatic that characterized so much of his work, Baum worked with the illustrator, W.W. Denslow, to richly illuminate the tales with color. The cost of this brave departure from custom was so expensive that, at first, they were unable to find a publisher and when they did, they had to pay for the first printing themselves. However, their confidence in their approach was well placed and Father Goose: His Book, which came out in 1899, proved to be a popular and commercial success.

While starting his career as an author, Baum naturally also quit his job as a crockery salesman and started, of all things a trade journal, The Show Window, providing guidance on developing effective window displays. While at first sight this might seem completely out of the blue, keep in mind that it played to his publishing experience, his retail experience and his love of the theatric. In the midst of his developing career as an author, The Show Window was actually quite a success as well.

For his book after Father Goose, Baum created a story which “aspires to be a modernized fairy-tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares left out.” Such was the genesis of what became The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. As with Father Goose, and still in collaboration with W.W. Denslow, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was replete with color plates and more than a hundred illustrations scattered through the text.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was an instant hit. Why? is a fair question not well answered over the years. It just is, and still captures the hearts of modern readers. Some of the reasons advanced for its popularity have been:

• It is a new fairy tale, far lighter on the moralizing than past stories.
• The protagonist, Dorothy Gale, characterized pragmatic, outdoorsy, determined American children with whom they more readily identified than previous characters in children’s stories.
• It was distinctively illustrated compared to past fare.
• Oz made greater use of typically American (rural) imagery such as scarecrows, tin men, than was common.
• The humor, including a love of puns not usually approved of, could engage children. I love the light going on, sometimes many readings later, when they make the connection between Dorothy Gale and her being carried off by a tornado.
• While the writing is pretty commonly regarded as pedestrian, the texture of the narrative and the sheer spectacle of Baum’s inventiveness means that there is always some plot development, incidental character or protagonist to grip the imagination of a young child and there is almost always a character with whom they can identify or be fascinated.
• The sheer inventiveness and uniqueness of his stories mirrored a spirit characteristic of America in general but especially of that era of invention.

The success of the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz truly launched Baum’s literary career. In his remaining nineteen years, he wrote a further thirteen installments in the series. It is generally agreed that the quality of the later books was highly variable with only two, three or four coming close to the quality of the first book. Most Oz fans, however, will take the position that all are worthwhile reading. That said, they then each list a different set of 2-4 books as the next best ones.

I never had the Oz books growing up but Sally had a complete set and lapped them up at an early age. For her, the next favorite was Ozma of Oz.

Rather as Arthur Conan Doyle came to view his wildly successful creation, Sherlock Holmes, as a constraining literary burden and kept trying to kill him off, likewise Baum on a number of occasions tried to bring the Oz series to a close only to relent upon receipt of desperate pleas from fans (or succumb to financial pressures in his own life) and write another one.

While continuing to write the Oz books, Baum also authored a number of other series including the Twinkle Tales under the pseudonym of Laura Bancroft, the Aunt Jane’s Nieces series under the pseudonym of Edith Van Dyne, the Boy Fortune Hunters series under the pseudonym Floyd Akers, and the Snuggle Tales series. He also wrote a number of plays/musicals based on the Oz series and later started a movie company (which quickly folded) to develop the film aspect of his writings. Over his lifetime, Baum ended up writing close to one hundred and fifty stories, plays, collections of songs, etc.

Baum and his family moved to Hollywood, California in 1910 and established a beautiful home there with lovely gardens where he indulged his love of gardening, raising prize-winning dahlias and chrysanthemums. The last four years of his life were colored by increasingly frail health. The gardens and sunshine provided some respite while he continued (under financial pressures) to write despite increasing physical incapacities. L. Frank Baum passed away May 6, 1919.

What might have happened if the Oz stories were not immortalized in film in the 1939 Wizard of Oz movie, starring Judy Garland is an interesting question. Would their continued popularity have survived without the visual magic of the film? It is worth noting that there is something so engaging about the stories that they do keep fascinating later generations of artists who, in turn, keep creating new renditions in films, plays and musicals. Likewise, the stories have been irresistible to later generations of artists and illustrators with a plethora of wonderful editions created by such magnificent illustrators as John R. Neill, Michael Hague, Lisbeth Zwerger, Charles Santore, Robert Sabuda, Greg Hildebrandt, and Evelyn Copelman. There is no doubt that the movie has sustained an audience for the stories, but I believe that the fascination with the stories by other creative spirits is not an accident and is a tribute to Baum’s originality and creativity.

Independent Reader

The Oz books in sequence:

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow & William Stout Highly Recommended

The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Highly Recommended

Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

Tik-Tok of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

Rinkitink in Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Lost Princess of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Tin Woodman of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Magic of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

Other Books Available by L. Frank Baum

Little Wizard Stories of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Michael Hague Suggested

The Twinkle Tales by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maginel Wright Barney Suggested

Bibliography

Baum's Complete Stamp Dealers Directory by L. Frank Baum 1873
The Maid of Arran by L. Frank Baum 1882
Matches by L. Frank Baum 1882
The Mackrummins by L. Frank Baum 1882
Louis F. Baum's Popular Songs as Sung With Immense Success in His Great 5 Act Irish Drama, Maid of Arran by L. Frank Baum 1882
The Queen of Killarney by L. Frank Baum 1885
The Book of the Hamburgs: A Brief Treatise Upon the Mating, Rearing and Management of the Different Varieties of Hamburgs by L. Frank Baum 1886
Kilmourne; or, O'Connor's Dream by L. Frank Baum 1888
Mother Goose in Prose by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maxfield Parrish 1897
By the Candelabra's Glare: Some Verse by L. Frank Baum 1898
Father Goose, His Book by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow 1899
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by William Wallace Denslow 1900
A New Wonderland, Being the First Account Ever Printed of the Beautiful Valley, and the Wonderful Adventures of Its Inhabitants by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Frank Ver Beck 1900
The Army Alphabet by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Harry Kennedy 1900
The Navy Alphabet by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Harry Kennedy 1900
The Songs of Father Goose for the Home, School, and Nursery by L. Frank Baum 1900
The Art of Decorating Dry Goods Windows and Interiors, Show Window Publishing. by L. Frank Baum 1900
American Fairy Tales by L. Frank Baum 1901
Dot and Tot of Merryland by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by William Wallace Denslow 1901
The Master Key: An Electrical Fairy Tale Founded Upon the Mysteries of Electricity and the Optimism of Its Devotees by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Fanny Y. Cory 1901
King Midas by L. Frank Baum 1901
The Octopus; or, The Title Trust by L. Frank Baum 1901
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Mary Cowles Clark 1902
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1902
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1902
The Enchanted Island of Yew, Whereon Prince Marvel Encountered the High Ki of Twi and Other Surprising People by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Fanny Y. Cory 1903
The Maid of Athens by L. Frank Baum 1903
Prince Silverwings by L. Frank Baum 1903
King Jonah XIII by L. Frank Baum 1903
The Whatnexters by L. Frank Baum 1903
Down among the Marshes: The Alligator Song by L. Frank Baum 1903
The Marvelous Land of Oz, Being an Account of the Further Adventures of the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1904
Father Goose, music by Tietjens by L. Frank Baum 1904
The Pagan Potentate, music by Tietjens by L. Frank Baum 1904
What Did the Woggle-Bug Say? by L. Frank Baum 1904
The Woggle-Bug Book by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Ike Morgan 1905
Queen Zixi of Ix; or, The Story of the Magic Cloak by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Frederick Richardson 1905
The Woggle-Bug by L. Frank Baum 1905
The Woggle-Bug by L. Frank Baum 1905
The Fate of a Crown by L. Frank Baum 1905
Annabelle: A Novel for Young Folks by L. Frank Baum 1906
John Dough and the Cherub by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1906
Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Howard Heath 1906
Bandit Jim Crow by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maginel Wright Enright 1906
Mr. Woodchuck by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maginel Wright Enright 1906
Prairie-Dog Town by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maginel Wright Enright 1906
Prince Mud-Turtle by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maginel Wright Enright 1906
Sugar-Loaf Mountain by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maginel Wright Enright 1906
Twinkle's Enchantment by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maginel Wright Enright 1906
Aunt Jane's Nieces by L. Frank Baum 1906
Daughters of Destiny by L. Frank Baum 1906
Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1907
Sam Steele's Adventures in Panama by L. Frank Baum 1907
Policeman Bluejay by L. Frank Baum 1907
Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad by L. Frank Baum 1907
Down Missouri Way by L. Frank Baum 1907
Our Mary by L. Frank Baum 1907
Maud Gage Baum, In Other Lands Than Ours by L. Frank Baum 1907
Tamawaca Folks: A Summer Comedy by L. Frank Baum 1907
Father Goose's Year Book: Quaint Quacks and Feathered Shafts for Mature Children by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Walter J. Enright 1907
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1908
The Boy Fortune Hunters in Alaska by L. Frank Baum 1908
The Boy Fortune Hunters in Egypt by L. Frank Baum 1908
The Boy Fortune Hunters in Panama by L. Frank Baum 1908
Aunt Jane's Nieces at Millville by L. Frank Baum 1908
The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays by L. Frank Baum 1908
The Last Egyptian: A Romance of the Nile by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Francis P. Wightman 1908
The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1909
The Boy Fortune Hunters in China by L. Frank Baum 1909
Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work by L. Frank Baum 1909
The Fairy Prince by L. Frank Baum 1909
The Koran of the Prophet by L. Frank Baum 1909
The Rainbow's Daughter; or, The Magnet of Love by L. Frank Baum 1909
Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1909
Peter and Paul by L. Frank Baum 1909
The Pipes O' Pan by L. Frank Baum 1909
The Girl From Oz by L. Frank Baum 1909
The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1910
L. Frank Baum's Juvenile Speaker: Readings and Recitations in Prose and Verse, Humorous and Otherwise by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1910
The Boy Fortune Hunters in Yucatan by L. Frank Baum 1910
Aunt Jane's Nieces in Society by L. Frank Baum 1910
The Pea-Green Poodle by L. Frank Baum 1910
The Clock Shop by L. Frank Baum 1910
The Sea Fairies by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1911
The Daring Twins: A Story for Young Folk by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Pauline M. Batchelder 1911
The Boy Fortune Hunters in the South Seas by L. Frank Baum 1911
Twinkle and Chubbins: Their Astonishing Adventures in Nature Fairyland by L. Frank Baum 1911
Aunt Jane's Nieces and Uncle John by L. Frank Baum 1911
The Flying Girl by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by J. P. Nuyttens 1911
Sky Island: Being the Further Exciting Adventures of Trot and Cap'n Bill After Their Visit to the Sea Fairies by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1912
Aunt Jane's Nieces on Vacation by L. Frank Baum 1912
The Flying Girl and Her Chum by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by J. P. Nuyttens 1912
The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1913
Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1913
Little Dorothy and Toto by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1913
Ozma and the Little Wizard by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1913
The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1913
The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1913
Tik-Tok and the Nome King by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1913
Phoebe Daring: A Story for Young Folk by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Pauline M. Batchelder 1913
Aunt Jane's Nieces on the Ranch by L. Frank Baum 1913
The Tik-Tok Man of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1913
The Tik-Tok Man of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1913
Tik-Tok of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1914
The Little Wizard Stories of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1914
Aunt Jane's Nieces out West by L. Frank Baum 1914
Stagecraft, The Adventures of a Strictly Moral Man by L. Frank Baum 1914
The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1914
The Magic Cloak of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1914
The Last Egyptian by L. Frank Baum 1914
Violet's Dreams by L. Frank Baum 1914
The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1915
Aunt Jane's Nieces in the Red Cross by L. Frank Baum 1915
His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1915
The Uplift of Lucifer; or, Raising Hell by L. Frank Baum 1915
Rinkitink in Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1916
Little Bun Rabbit, Reilly & Lee. by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1916
Once Upon a Time, Reilly & Lee. by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1916
The Yellow Hen, Reilly & Lee. by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1916
The Magic Cloak, Reilly & Lee. by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1916
Mary Louise by L. Frank Baum 1916
Mary Louise in the Country by L. Frank Baum 1916
The Uplifters' Minstrels by L. Frank Baum 1916
The Lost Princess of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1917
The Ginger-Bread Man, Reilly & Lee. by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1917
Jack Pumpkinhead, Reilly & Lee. by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1917
Mary Louise Solves a Mystery by L. Frank Baum 1917
The Orpheus Road Company by L. Frank Baum 1917
The Tin Woodman of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1918
Mary Louise and the Liberty Girls by L. Frank Baum 1918
The Magic of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1919
Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1920
Oz-Man Tales by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1920
Susan Doozan by L. Frank Baum 1920
Our Landlady by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Friends of the Middle Border. 1941
Jaglon and the Tiger Fairies by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Dale Ulrey 1953
The Musical Fantasies of L. Frank Baum by L. Frank Baum 1958
The High-Jinks of L. Frank Baum (for The Uplifters) by L. Frank Baum 1959
The Visitors From Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Dick Martin 1960
The Uplift of Lucifer by L. Frank Baum 1963
Animal Fairy Tales by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Dick Martin 1969
A Kidnapped Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Richard Rosenblum 1969