''The Tale of the Land of Green Ginger'' is a 1937 book for children by

Noel Langley Noel Langley (25 December 1911 – 4 November 1980) was a South African-born (later naturalised American) novelist, playwright, screenwriter and director. He wrote the screenplay which formed the basis for the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz'' an ...

. (Later editions shortened the title to ''The Land of Green Ginger.'') The book was originally illustrated by the author. In 1966, it was re-illustrated with Edward Ardizzone's now classic illustrations. It tells the story of Abu Ali, the son of Aladdin (who is now emperor of China). Abu Ali's first words are "Button-nosed tortoise", which immediately mark him out as fated to perform an important task when he grows up. On reaching maturity, Abu Ali duly sets out on his quest ( the hero's journey), has various adventures, and struggles to do good whilst foiling the schemes of the Wicked Princes, Rubdub Ben Thud and Tintac Ping Foo. The book was adapted for television on Shirley Temple's Storybook. The book is one of the first by a modern writer to tell the story of what happens in the world of a fairy tale after " they all lived happily ever after", and is particularly highly regarded for its amusing word-play.The Land of Green Ginger
at David R. Godine, Publisher The book was a big enough success that it encouraged

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

to hire Langley to adapt another children's book, ''

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 ...

'', for the 1939 film. The story was read by

Kenneth Williams Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was an English actor of Welsh heritage. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 '' ...

for the BBC's '' Jackanory'' in December 1968.

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External links

*
The Land of Green Ginger
' – sample at Google Books 1937 British novels 1937 children's books 1937 fantasy novels British children's novels British fantasy novels Children's fantasy novels Novels set in China Works by Noel Langley Children's books set in China {{1930s-child-novel-stub