The Cowardly Lion of Oz facts for kids
Cover of The Cowardly Lion of Oz.
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| Author | Ruth Plumly Thompson |
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| Illustrator | John R. Neill |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Oz books |
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Reilly & Lee |
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Publication date
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1923 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Preceded by | Kabumpo in Oz |
| Followed by | Grampa in Oz |
The Cowardly Lion of Oz is an exciting adventure story published in 1923. It is the seventeenth book in the famous Oz series. This book was written by Ruth Plumly Thompson, who continued the stories started by L. Frank Baum. The pictures in the book were drawn by John R. Neill.
Contents
The Story Begins
The adventure starts with a king named Mustafa of Mudge. He lives in the desert and loves collecting lions. Mustafa already has 9,999 and a half lions! He really wants one more to reach 10,000. But there are no more lions in his land. Also, the ruler of Oz, Ozma, has forbidden anyone from Mudge to leave the desert.
Suddenly, two new characters arrive in Mudge. One is Notta Bit More, a funny clown from a circus. The other is Bobbie Downs, a serious orphan boy. Notta quickly renames Bobbie to "Bob Up" because he is so cheerful. Mustafa sees this as his chance! He decides to send Notta and Bob to find the famous Cowardly Lion from Oz. Using a magic ring, Mustafa forces them to go on this quest.
The Cowardly Lion's Quest
Meanwhile, in the Emerald City, the Cowardly Lion is worried. He believes the courage given to him by the Wizard is running out. This happened in the first Oz book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
The playful Patchwork Girl, named Scraps, gives the Lion a strange idea. She makes him think he can get more courage by eating a brave man. The Lion doesn't want to hurt anyone. So, he decides to find the bravest man in Oz and do it quickly. He sets off on his own quest.
New Friends and a Floating Island
The Cowardly Lion doesn't know that Notta Bit More and Bob Up are looking for him. By accident, the three meet! Notta and Bob hide their true mission from the Lion. They decide to trick him into going to Mudge.
The three adventurers soon fall into a trap. They are taken to a strange and unhappy place called the Island of Un. This island floats in the sky! The people of Un have bird heads and feathers. They are very "unish," meaning they are unfriendly, unkind, and ungrateful.
On the island, the travelers meet a special bird named Nickadoodle. He warns them that if they stay, they will also grow feathers and become bird-like. Together, they escape the Island of Un. They use a flying machine called a flyaboutabus. It has spinning feathered wheels.
Secrets Revealed and a Stone Giant
The Cowardly Lion, Notta, and Bob become good friends. They decide to share their secret plans with each other. The Cowardly Lion gives up his idea of eating a brave man. The friends then separate. The Lion heads to Mudge to calm Mustafa. He wants to stop Mustafa from using his magic ring against Notta and Bob. Notta and Bob go to the Emerald City to ask Ozma for help.
On his way, the Cowardly Lion meets Crunch, a giant made of stone. Crunch joins the Lion. They finally reach Mudge. There, Crunch the giant turns the Cowardly Lion into a stone statue! He wants the Lion to be his stone companion.
But help is on the way! Notta, Bob, Ozma, and the Wizard of Oz arrive. They reverse the giant's magic. The Cowardly Lion is turned back to normal. Ozma takes away Mustafa's magic ring. Peace is brought back to the land.
