The Return to Oz Storybook

This book, published by Random House in 1985 along with the other 'Return to Oz' books for the movie, is fun to look through and enjoyable to read. Those who have read about it in the 'Books of Oz' site will know that it has the photo of Dorothy, Billina, Tik-Tok and Jack Pumpkinhead riding the Gump against a sky-and-cloud background. Also, that site said that it is "colourfully illustrated" - actually, the images are not drawn, but actual photographs, placed beside the writing to tell the story. Not all of the movie is here, with a few scenes/moments from the movie taken out, or sometimes changed - no Kansas house in Oz or being watched/followed, etc.), but many of the photos are farmiliar and seen many times before in other editions. However, there are unfortunately no pictures of Toto, and just like the 'Dorothy Saves the Emerald City' Little Golden Book, Dorothy sees Ozma and says "Why, it's me . . . but it can't be me/it's not me!". But despite these circumstances, it's still a delightful retelling of the movie (there's an excellent new photo of Dorothy's hands on the mirror). The ending is cut a bit shorter, but everything important is still here. I do think that just like the 'Little Golden Books' and the 'Movie Comic' that this book should've been (as the 'Books of Oz' site - incorrectly - states) "COLOURFULLY ILLUSTRATED" with NEW PICTURES. For this book they should've done one of the following: (1) DRAW ENTIRELY NEW PICTURES like they have with all other 'Disney Random House Story Books' OR (2) taken all of the pictures from the Little Golden Books and put them all together in one volume, but with new 'Kansas ending' pictures. 43 pages of simple story-telling writing with great photos for pictures, make this a pleasant book to add to your collection of "Disney's Return to Oz", especially with the 20th Anniversary coming along on June 21.