The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.. Dorothy is a young girl who lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry and her little dog Toto on a Kansas farm. One day, Dorothy and Toto are caught up in a cyclone that deposits her farmhouse into Munchkin Country in the magical Land of Oz. The falling house has killed the Wicked Witch of the East, the evil ruler of the Munchkins. The Good Witch of the North arrives with the grateful Munchkins and gives Dorothy the magical Silver Shoes that once belonged to the witch. The Good Witch tells Dorothy that the only way she can return home is to go to the Emerald City and ask the great and powerful Wizard of Oz to help her. As Dorothy embarks on her journey, the Good Witch of the North kisses her on the forehead, giving her magical protection from harm.
L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) was an American author, poet, playwright, actor, and independent filmmaker best known today as the creator--along with illustrator W. W. Denslow--of one of the most popular books in American children's literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He wrote thirteen Oz sequels, nine other fantasy novels, and a plethora of other works, and brought several of his works to the stage and screen. His is known to his fans as "The Royal Historian of Oz."