What is the story of the Wizard of Oz? by Kirsten Anderson, illustrated by Robert Squier

This is a new mini-series coming from the popular Who Was series.Who Was titles are biographies, Where is focuses on geography/culture, and What was is generally history of culture. This fits into the What Was section, but is its own little section, "What is the story of...?"

Each book, in the popular format, explores a different pop culture show or icon. Other titles include Frankenstein, Dr. Who, Scooby-Doo, and Hello Kitty. I picked this one up because I like Oz stories, although I wouldn't exactly call myself a fan (of anything).

It starts with a quick recap of the life of L. Frank Baum and his creation of Oz, along with the early incarnations of it on the stage. It covers the main continuations by Ruth Plumly Thompson and continued efforts to reproduce the beloved stories on stage and screen. Of course, the famous MGM production, along with trivia and its initial reception (not good) are covered and later popular versions including The Wiz and Wicked.

Most time is given to the MGM movie and the stage show of Wicked. Simple black and white illustrations mimic the styles of Neill and Denslow, as well as showing appropriate clothing styles for the various time periods.

Verdict: This is a nice overview of a pop culture moment that kids may or may not be aware of. It's briskly written with a sprinkling of drawings. Fans of the series are sure to be interested in picking up this and other entries in this new mini-series.

ISBN: 9781524788308; Published October 2019 by Penguin Workshop; Purchased for the library