The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum - Ozathon24

Trot, a serious little girl, and her devoted friend, Cap’n Bill, are exploring the California coast when their boat hits a whirlpool. They are brought down, down, down into the depths of the ocean and eventually resurface in a cave where they are temporarily safe (if you are like Alec Ramsey and can survive on seaweed). 

Luckily, they encounter an Ork, a sort of ostrich-like bird, who is also far from home. He leads them through a tunnel and eventually flies them back to earth. Although they have escaped from caves and the sea, their troubles are not over, although the Ork proves a reliable friend. They encounter fruit berries that shrink the eater (thank goodness, there’s an antidote growing nearby) and run into Button-Bright (who we know from The Road to Oz but Trot and Cap’n Bill met in Sky Island, a non-Oz book), infamous for annoyingly replying “Don’t know,” to most questions (I have a coworker like this). 

Cap’n Bill is very handy and figures out a way to get them over the dangerous desert: first, he persuades three birds to eat a berry that makes them grow large, and then he builds swings that attach to the birds, so the three humans can be carried safely to Oz. Unfortunately, they have reached an obscure part of Oz called Jinxland where more danger awaits from King Krewl, who is initially afraid of Cap’n Bill but then has him turned into a grasshopper (with a miniature wooden leg like the one he has in real life). Things are looking bad for our friends until Glinda learns of their predicament and sends the Scarecrow to depose King Krewl and bring everyone to the Emerald City.

My Impression: Trot and Cap’n Bill, one of her mother’s boarders who has become a father figure to the young girl, are good companions who often explore the California coast together on land or sea. Little do they know that their simple outing in an old rowboat will lead them into great danger:

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,

A tale of a fateful trip

That started from this tropic port

Aboard this tiny ship.

San Diego, where the book starts out, is not a tropic port but I couldn’t resist! But unlike some, Trot and Cap’n Bill are not going to sit around and wait to be rescued. I like Cap’n Bill’s ingenuity: his jacket has pockets full of useful things when one is stranded – matches (miraculously dry), candles, hooks to catch crabs, as well as biscuits and cheese. And although I was afraid I’d get tired of the Ork, he turns out to be loyal companion. He has a more restless nature than the average creature of his kind so went exploring as a young bird and has been trying to find his way home ever since. However, even when he locates his home, he returns to make sure Trot and Cap’n Bill are all right (which they aren’t). From my perspective, it is more satisfying when the characters rescue themselves but Baum decided that Glinda and the Scarecrow would come to the rescue. Overall, not my favorite Oz book, but definitely some good moments, including a country where it rains popcorn and rains lemonade.

Author: L. Frank Baum
Illustrator: John R. Neill
Publication: Books of Wonder facsimile hardcover, originally published in 1915.
Genre: Juvenile fantasy/series
Source: Library. I reread this for Lory’s Ozathon24.

Illustration copyright to the publishers.