Mister Tinker in Oz - Sam's Retrospective

Two months ago Jared made a review about the Random House Oz Short Story "Mister Tinker in Oz" by James Howe, illustrated by David Rose. You can see his review of half the book here.

As Jared said before I have this book in my collection and would like to offer my perspective.

Everybody knew the story of "the Wizard of Oz", or at least knew the LOOK of the story (a girl, a dog, a Scarecrow, a tin man with an axe, a lion, all walking together down a road of yellow bricks, usually to or away from a city of emeralds). Of course we had the Ladybird story as an abridgement too (illustrated by Brian Price Thomas) at my primary school library, Daceyville, but surprisingly we also had a copy of this blog's book, the cover () of which has always stayed with me since, including some of its illustrations. Not everyday that you have an abridged Oz book that's by an author NOT Baum, Thompson, etc!

I was too young to really read the book, so like all little children I just looked through the book unless I saw a picture, which there is a good number of - but you can never have enough or too many pictures as a kid!

For many years I remembered a few of the images from the book: the colour cover having a girl with her long hair in braids standing at a fence as she watched a man in a black cloak coming down a ladder from the clouds/sky, Dorothy sitting with a group of babies surrounded by giant ants, Dorothy and the babies now with the man, Dorothy looking at a clock the man showed her in his hand and finally Dorothy resting in an armchair with Toto (and a book?) in front of a fireplace.

Only once did I go on the internet, find "the Oz Project" and come across the interesting title did I find the book I remembered only through pictures and not words. It would not be until July-August 2006 that I ordered the book, not from ebay, but an online secondhand-bookstore called BiblioQuest.

I loved the book soon as I got it. And, as is often the case with memories and time, I saw how the drawings were slightly different to what I imagined: Dorothy's hair wasn't as long as I thought it was, nor did Mister Tinker look like a Clown in a black cloak. And of course now that I had grown up, I could actually read the book and remember the story - there is also an extra character, an old lady named Astoria who I thought looked like the Good Witch of the North in her one illustration (before actually reading this time), who helps add to the story.

I don't need to tell you what happens as that was already explained in Jared's blog, but I can say how the best thing about this book is that there is adventure not just in getting to Oz but also after having arrived in the Emerald City. Most importantly Dorothy helps Mr Tinker to find there was nothing wrong with him throughout the story after all. A big cliche is the asking of "Will Dorothy get home again?" or "Will everything be alright?" and that is actually addressed here, in which the Emerald City ISN'T "alright" upon visiting, so that allows the story to go on a bit longer with Dorothy and Mr Tinker and their friends all helping Oz to become normal again.

A GOOD Short Oz story, with sketchy illustrations but still some nice drawings nonetheless, which brings a backstory character to the spotlight (Tik-Tok's creator) in a simple yet extremely fun adventure in Oz. I should like to see this book as a short film someday, if possible. And maybe try some new illustrations too.

I wonder though, if L. Frank Baum had remembered Tik-Tok's story of his creators back in "Ozma", would he have thought of a way to include the 1000 year warranty and its moon-based creator in "Tik-Tok", in the rewrite of the Ozma Musical?

Dorothy and the Magic Belt

And I finally got my hands on the last Random House "Brand New Oz Adventure" book! Well, actually, the copy I wound up with was a British edition published by Puffin. Still, same story, same illustrations.

Dorothy and the Magic Belt was by Susan Saunders. I can't find much but bibliography for her. She mainly seems to have contributed to small book series.

Anyway, her contribution to this little series: Dorothy goes to Oz abruptly while explaining how she signals Ozma to Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. While Dorothy takes the Sawhorse on an excursion in the Munchkin Country, a young boy plans to get back on Ozma: Dr. Nikidik's son, referred to as Nikidik the Younger or just Nik. He wanted to be a sorcerer, like his father, but since unauthorized magic in Oz is now illegal, Nikidik to Elder has agreed to follow the law.

Still, Nik wants to do magic, so what can he do? Go to the Emerald City and take the Magic Belt! He accomplishes this with "Youthing Powder," which makes people younger upon contact. When he makes all the people in the Emerald City into younger versions of themselves, taking the Magic Belt is a piece of cake! However, Tik-Tok manages to see what's going on.

Can Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and Jack Pumpkinhead get the Belt back from Nik and his aide, a youthful Mombi?

The story fails to fit in continuity about Mombi, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, and Dr. Nikidik in the later Oz books. A new future for Mombi is written that doesn't fit in with what Thompson wrote and what the Scarecrow suspects in The Tin Woodman of Oz. Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are contacted by magic, meaning their skepticism about Oz in The Emerald City of Oz should be completely unfounded. As for Nikidik, this story's conclusion falls flat given we're told that Nikidik died later, and if you follow fan speculation that he was really Dr. Pipt, where's his son when we meet him in The Patchwork Girl of Oz?

David Rose's illustrations are still as good as ever, but now that I've seen four books, to be honest, I've seen Oz artwork I prefer over him. Not that he's bad, but he's got nothing on Denslow, Neill, or even Dick Martin.

Overall, I suppose the completist book collector would want this, but as it stands, it's just not a very great story.

Dorothy and the Seven-Leaf Clover

Remember those four Random House books? Well, I got another one. That's 3/4.

Dorothy and the Seven-Leaf Clover by Dorothy Haas was actually one of two Oz books she wrote for Random House. Her other book was a picture book titled Dorothy and Old King Crow. I guess she liked Oz! (She also shares a last name with Oz writer Mark Haas, but it doesn't seem they were immediately related.)

Dorothy accidentally makes the sign to be brought to Oz one Saturday morning (only up to Ozma of Oz when it comes to canon references, remember?), and Ozma assumed she wanted to be with her old friends, the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion. As such, Dorothy gets to Oz on page 2, which is just fine, considering the length of the book.

The five (Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Lion) arrive just outside a cornfield, glad to be reunited. However, Toto chases a field mouse into the cornfield, where he gets trapped in a golden summerhouse. The inhabitant of the summerhouse is a boy made of gold who explains he was made gold by a witch. He refuses to let Toto go, and having a heart of cold metal, he is unmoved by Dorothy's pleading.

The way to restore the boy is to have him say the incantation while holding a seven-leaf clover. But can Dorothy and her friends find one? What dangers lie in their way? And can they convince the boy to actually do it?

Dorothy Haas writes a rather good, if short, Oz story here. The characters don't have to wait on a magical deus ex machina to solve their problems, they can handle it. The characters stay mainly in character with Baum's original, and the conclusion turns up a few surprises. David Rose's artwork was still at his usual standard. And yes, it can slip in right after Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz with no real continuity issues.

All together, Dorothy and the Seven-Leaf Clover is an all right little book. Maybe not one I'd recommend right away, but all right.

Mister Tinker in Oz

Following yesterday's post, why not look at the other Random House Oz book I got?

James Howe's Mister Tinker in Oz opens with Dorothy in Kansas, on a windy night. Aunt Em sends her out to fasten the gate, when Dorothy sees a ladder descend from the sky and a strange man climbing down it.

The man introduces himself as Ezra P. Tinker. He is Tik-Tok's surviving inventor, and according to his watch, Tik-Tok's thousand year guarantee is about to expire, so he needs to find Tik-Tok as soon as possible to make the necessary repairs.

Dorothy brings him up to speed on Tik-Tok's current whereabouts, as he had no way of knowing that Tik-Tok now lives in the Emerald City instead of Ev. So, Mr. Tinker comes up with a way to get them to Oz: mail. After addressing and stamping an envelope (with his foot), he shrinks them both so they can ride inside. However, the wind carries Dorothy away to Oz alone.

Emerging from the envelope, Dorothy finds herself surrounded by young children called the Widdlebits, who seek a caretaker from the Shiny Bellies, who are ants, but at Dorothy's present size, they are monsters. Can Mr. Tinker find them in time? And what other dangers lay between them and the Emerald City? And if they get there, will everything be all right? And most importantly, can Tik-Tok be found in time?

James Howe, writer of many children's books, including the Bunnicula series, actually proves a capable Oz storyteller, even in the standard six chapters of the Random House Oz books. He is witty, manages to have magic mastered by logic and perseverance, and altogether, provides a story that fits in well with Oz continuity. Unlike Ozma and the Wayward Wand, no specific time is given for the story, allowing it to fall easily after Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, although the Wizard could not appear.

David Rose again proves a capable illustrator, though there are some spots where the story could have used a few more illustrations. I only wish this author and illustrator pair could have done a longer Oz story, because this really is a good little story.

Never mind that I'm not counting it as "canon" in my mind...

Ozma and the Wayward Wand

In 1985, Random House Publishing issued four little Oz books, probably timed with the release of Disney's Return to Oz. They were Dorothy and the Magic Belt, Dorothy and the Seven-Leaf Clover, the surprisingly easy to find Mister Tinker in Oz, and the book at hand, Ozma and the Wayward Wand.

These books were not long, being small, thin, having large print, and under ten chapters each. Each of the four were written by a different writer, but illustrator David Rose illustrated them all. Ozma and the Wayward Wand was by Polly Berends. (What a suggestive title, by the way. Don't know what I mean? Good.)

Each of the books are supposed to be set after Ozma of Oz, as that was the last Oz book in public domain at the time. As I'd mentioned, Mister Tinker in Oz seems to be rather easy to find. I know Sam's at least read it, and he's in Australia, and I've owned two copies, a hardcover library binding edition in my first collection, and now a standard paperback.

Ozma and the Wayward Wand finds Dorothy wanting to go on a hot air balloon ride, but when she visits the fair, she spends her fifty cent piece at a fortune teller, who shows her a vision of Ozma and the Scarecrow missing her in Oz. Dorothy does go to the hot air balloon, though she has no money, and is given a free ride, but when Toto jumps out, the operator retrieves him, but before he can get back in himself, the balloon flies away.

The balloon eventually flies to Oz, where it starts to fall over the desert, but the Scarecrow in the reassembled Gump rescues Dorothy and Toto, and Ozma uses the magic carpet, which has become watery, to make a river that reaches out into the desert.

As Dorothy, Billina, and Ozma go boating, a little boy steals Ozma's wand and begins to make trouble in the Emerald City, not what he'd intended and a lot more trouble than he expected.

In the end, everything is returned to normal, and Dorothy goes back to Kansas in the balloon.

The little book isn't such a great Oz story. It specifically states Dorothy's last visit was Ozma of Oz, but that becomes problematic, as that book has Dorothy in Australia at the end, and the next book opens with her on the return journey. The ending has a moral for Dorothy and Ozma, which feels a little forced and doesn't make a compelling story at all. Dorothy feels too restless in Kansas (she even says "Drat!" at having to stay there, which just doesn't feel right), and Ozma seems too silly, alerting the entire Emerald City to Dorothy's plight when only a few people can actually help. And Ozma worries Dorothy's forgotten them, which would be silly indeed, considering Oz is the most exciting place Dorothy's been to.

The best part of the book is David Rose's illustrations. While he caters a bit to the MGM folk by giving Dorothy braids, his designs are largely based on John R. Neill's original illustrations. (Though I don't care for his Omby Amby, who has his beard back already, another contradiction of series continuity.)

Overall, while it's fine for a short kid's book, it's not a great Oz book.