''L. Frank Baum's Juvenile Speaker: Readings and Recitations in Prose and Verse, Humorous and Otherwise'' is an anthology of literary works by

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...

, author of the

Oz books The Oz books form a book series that begins with ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) and relates the fictional history of the Land of Oz. Oz was created by author L. Frank Baum, who went on to write fourteen full-length Oz books. All of Baum's b ...

. The book was first published in 1910, with illustrations by veteran Baum artists John R. Neill and

Maginel Wright Enright Maginel Wright Enright Barney (June 19, 1877 – April 18, 1966) was an American children's book illustrator and graphic artist. She was the younger sister of Frank Lloyd Wright, architect, and the mother of Elizabeth Enright, children's book wri ...

; a subsequent 1912 edition was retitled ''Baum's Own Book for Children''. The book constitutes a complex element in the Baum bibliography. Baum intended the anthology for schools, to be used in instruction in public speaking. The collection includes versions of previously published material from Baum's Oz books, '' Father Goose'', and other works, plus new selections like ''Prince Marvel'', a short play for child actors based on ''

The Enchanted Island of Yew ''The Enchanted Island of Yew: Whereon Prince Marvel Encountered the High Ki of Twi and Other Surprising People'' is a children's fantasy novel written by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by Fanny Y. Cory, and published by the Bobbs-Merrill Company i ...

''. One of the selections is "Little Bun Rabbit," the final piece in Baum's '' Mother Goose in Prose'' from 1897. The protagonist in Baum's version of the nursery rhyme is a little girl who can talk to animals – named Dorothy. When Baum reprinted in story in his ''Juvenile Speaker'', he changed the character's name to Doris, to forestall confusion with

Dorothy Gale Dorothy Gale is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's classic 1900 children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and reappears in most of it ...

from ''

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz afte ...

''. Baum made other revisions in his reprinted texts. One example: the 20th chapter in ''The Wonderful Wizard'', "The Dainty China Country," was revised into a stand-alone tale, "In Chinaland;" and Baum removed the detail in which the Cowardly Lion accidentally destroys a small china church with his tail.''The Annotated Wizard of Oz'', p. 328.

Reprints

Materials from the ''Juvenile Speaker'' were republished in different volumes in later years. In 1916 and 1917, Baum's publisher

Reilly & Britton The Reilly and Britton Company, known after 1918 as Reilly & Lee, was an American publishing company of the early and middle 20th century, best known for children's and popular culture books from authors like L. Frank Baum and Edgar A. Guest. Foun ...

issued stories from the anthology in six smaller 62-page books collectively called ''The Snuggle Tales'', with black-and-white Neill illustrations. (They were originally sold for $0.40 each.) The publisher had used this approach successfully in the ''

Little Wizard Stories of Oz ''Little Wizard Stories of Oz'' is a set of six short stories written for young children by L. Frank Baum, the creator of the Oz books. The six tales were published in separate small booklets, "Oz books in miniature," in 1913, and then in a coll ...

'' in 1913–14, as a way of reaching beginning readers. The six ''Snuggle Tales'' books are: * ''Little Bun Rabbit and Other Stories'' (1916) * ''Once Upon a Time and Other Stories'' (1916) * ''The Yellow Hen and Other Stories'' (1916) * ''The Magic Cloak and Other Stories'' (1916) * ''The Gingerbread Man'' (1917) * ''Jack Pumpkinhead'' (1917). In turn, ''The Snuggle Tales'' were later republished with added color plates as the ''Oz-Man Tales'', issued in 1920. To illustrate the type of materials involved, consider the contents of the fourth ''Snuggle Tales'' volume, ''The Magic Cloak and Other Stories'': * "The Weaving of the Magic Cloak" — from ''

Queen Zixi of Ix ''Queen Zixi of Ix, or The Story of the Magic Cloak'', is a children's book written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Frederick Richardson. It was originally serialized in the early 20th-century American children's magazine ''St. Nicholas'' f ...

'' * "When the Whistle Blows" (poem) * "In Chinaland" — from ''

'' * "The Greedy Goldfish" (poem) — from '' Father Goose, His Book'' * "Santa Claus's First Journey" — from ''

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' is a 1902 children's book, written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Mary Cowles Clark. Setting Plot As a baby, Santa Claus is found in the Forest of Burzee by Ak, the Master Woodsman of the World ...

'' * "The Head of the King" — from '' The Magical Monarch of Mo'' * "The Tramp" (poem) — from ''

By the Candelabra's Glare ''By the Candelabra's Glare'' is a 1898 collection of poems written by L. Frank Baum. One of his earliest works, the book was significant in Baum's evolution from amateur to professional author. The book Baum's first book, '' Mother Goose in Pros ...

'' * "The Mantle of Immortality" — from ''

'' * "The King of Thieves" — from ''

'' * "Melting a Wicked Witch" — from ''

'' * "Miss Violin's Beau" (a punning poem) * "The Beautiful Valley of Mo" — from '' The Magical Monarch of Mo''.

References

External links

* {{L. Frank Baum Books by L. Frank Baum American children's books 1910 children's books Fantasy anthologies