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Jump to navigationJump to searchToto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of The Wizard of Oz by Michael Morpurgo and Emma Chichester Clark (view source)
Revision as of 16:59, 23 September 2017
, 16:59, 23 September 2017no edit summary
However, this book should not be read for the life lessons; they're beside the point in this particular version. Instead, it should be read to experience Toto's chatty first person narrative. Morpurgo is a dab hand at telling a story through the eyes of animals - we all know what an excellent job he did with ''War Horse''. Here, Morpurgo has written Toto's narration with insightful details, enabling the reader to really get to know him. He's given Toto a sparky personality with several endearing qualities, such as a ravenous appetite and a sausage obsession, resulting in a character that we can't help but fall in love with.
Michael Freeman Foreman has done a brilliant job illustrating numerous Morpurgo books, portraying the characters and settings beautifully with his sympathetic watercolours and sketches. However, choosing Emma Chichester Clark to work with Morpurgo for this book was an inspired idea. Emma's vivid artwork contributes hugely to the reading experience, adding another unforgettable dimension. She portrays Dorothy as a convincing little girl in a bonnet, the scarecrow as an absent-minded Pied Piper, the lion as tender but animated, and the Tin Man as a mischievously comic Jack-the-lad. Her illustrations are bright and cheerful which makes helps to make the book appealing to younger readers, and it is the colourful jollity which ensures that The Wicked Witch of the West with her flying monkeys and the ghostly head in the Wizard's chair are not the stuff of nightmares. Adults will appreciate the extra detail of her pictures, especially the sumptuous patterning of the characters' clothes. The style of writing and illustrations seem to complement each other perfectly and I'm sure that the book would not be such a success without Chichester Clark's exquisite artwork to bring the story alive.
I doubt that many people these days have read the original book by L. Frank Baum. In fact, I doubt many children know that it was ever a book in the first place and that it wasn't a Disney creation. This book certainly does the original justice: Morpurgo keeps the essence of the well-loved story, but updates the vocabulary to make it accessible for today's young readers. I really like the fact that this version includes delightful details of the original book which were omitted from the film, such as the witch sending wolves and crows to chase after Dorothy and her friends. After reading this book, you'll never want to watch the film again!
