American Fairy Tales by L. Frank Baum

(Public Domain)

When you hear the name L. Frank Baum you will probably think of The Wizard of Oz, but you are probably not aware that he wrote some other fun tales for the young.

One day I was searching for something new to read in the public domain, and stumbled upon the American Fairy Tales.  There are American Fairy Tales!?  I was curious and intrigued.  On gutenburg.org, a site that houses free public domain ebooks, I downloaded the fairy tales, and soon I was whisked away in sheer delight.      

The style of Baum's writing feels quite modern, even though these stories are over 100 years old.  (They were written in 1901.)  He wrote the 12 fantasy stories after his great success with the Wizard of Oz.  The tales are fun and imaginative, and it only makes me admire L. Frank Baum all the more.

I really enjoyed "The Capture of Father Time," a story about a boy out in the west who is throwing a rope and captures Time, which causes him to freeze time in the process.  "The Queen of Quok," about a boy who suddenly finds himself a King and needs to marry, so he finds a genie in his bed that helps him solve his problem.  And "The Glass Dog."  The Glass Dog is my absolute favorite!  If you're going to read one of the fairy tales You Must read this one.  'Nuff said.  I don't want to spoil it, but it is thoroughly amusing!  At least my brothers and I think so.

You can download the stories for free at gutenburg.org and at google books.

Apparently Mr. Baum also wrote the novel The Master Key, also in 1901, that is fabulous.  I haven't read it, but it's at the top of my list.

Happy reading:0)
Sarah