Rinkitink in Oz facts for kids
The original 1916 book cover
|
|
| Author | L. Frank Baum |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | John R. Neill |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Oz books |
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Reilly & Britton |
|
Publication date
|
1916 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Preceded by | The Scarecrow of Oz |
| Followed by | The Lost Princess of Oz |
Rinkitink in Oz is the tenth book in the famous Land of Oz series. It was written by L. Frank Baum and published on June 20, 1916. The book features colorful and black-and-white pictures by artist John R. Neill.
What makes this book special is that most of the adventure happens outside of the magical land of Oz. In fact, no characters from Oz appear until the very end of the story! This is because Baum actually wrote most of this book as a fantasy story many years earlier, before he connected it to his Oz series. The book was dedicated to Baum's grandson, Robert Alison Baum.
Contents
The Exciting Story of Rinkitink in Oz
Prince Inga's Island Home
The story begins with Prince Inga, who lives on the peaceful island of Pingaree. His parents are King Kitticut and Queen Garee. King Kitticut tells Inga a secret: years ago, when other islands tried to invade Pingaree, he stopped them with three special magic pearls.
Each pearl has a unique power:
- The blue pearl makes the person holding it super strong.
- The pink pearl protects its owner from any harm.
- The white pearl shares wise advice and answers questions.
A Royal Visit and a Surprise Attack
One day, a cheerful and plump ruler named King Rinkitink of Gilgad visits Pingaree for a vacation. He stays with King Kitticut for several weeks. King Rinkitink often rides his talking goat, Bilbil, who can be a bit grumpy.
Suddenly, invaders from the islands of Regos and Coregos attack Pingaree again! They capture King Kitticut before he can get his magic pearls. Almost everyone on the island is taken away to become slaves. Only Prince Inga, King Rinkitink, and Bilbil manage to escape. Inga decides he must rescue his people using the magic pearls. He secretly hides the pearls in his shoes, and the three friends sail off to Regos.
Facing the Wicked Kings
On Regos, the evil King Gos and his army are easily defeated by Inga's amazing strength and invulnerability, thanks to the pearls. King Gos runs away to the nearby island of Coregos, which is ruled by the equally wicked Queen Cor.
Inga and Rinkitink sleep in the palace. But the next morning, Inga's shoes, with the pink and blue pearls inside, are accidentally lost! A poor charcoal burner finds the shoes and takes them home for his daughter, Zella. Meanwhile, Queen Cor arrives on Regos and captures Inga and Rinkitink, who are now powerless. She takes them back to Coregos.
The Pearls Return and a New Journey
Zella, wearing the special shoes but not knowing their power, travels to Queen Cor's palace to sell honey. Inga sees her and recognizes his shoes. He quickly trades shoes with her. With the pearls back in his possession, Inga easily defeats Queen Cor, who also escapes to Regos.
Inga frees his people from Pingaree, and they sail safely back home. However, his parents, King Kitticut and Queen Garee, are still prisoners of King Gos and Queen Cor. The two wicked rulers take Inga's parents to the underground land of the Nomes. They pay the Nome King Kaliko to use his magic to keep them captive.
Into the Nome Kingdom
Inga, Rinkitink, and Bilbil follow them to the Nome Kingdom. For safety, Rinkitink carries the pink pearl, which protects him from harm. The Nome King refuses to release Inga's parents because he promised Gos and Cor he would keep them. He claims he has no bad feelings toward the travelers.
Rinkitink and Inga sleep in the Nome King's palace. But in the morning, Kaliko tries to kill them with various clever traps. Both escape because of the powerful pearls they carry.
Help from Oz and a Happy Ending
Back in Oz, Dorothy hears about these events. She travels to the Nome Kingdom with the Wizard of Oz to confront Kaliko. Dorothy forces the Nome King to release Inga's parents.
Reunited, Inga and his parents, along with Rinkitink and Bilbil, travel to Oz. The Wizard of Oz discovers that Bilbil is actually Prince Bobo of Boboland! A mean magician had turned him into a goat. The Wizard and Glinda are able to turn him back into a human. This also makes him much nicer!
Inga, his parents, Rinkitink, and Bobo return to their rebuilt island of Pingaree. Soon after, a boat arrives from Gilgad to take Rinkitink home. Rinkitink doesn't want to go back to his royal duties, but he is eventually convinced to return, with his new friend Prince Bobo joining him.
A Special Reissue
In 1939, Rinkitink in Oz was one of six Oz books reissued in a smaller "junior edition" for young readers. This was done to promote the famous MGM film The Wizard of Oz.
