The Hidden Valley of Oz facts for kids
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| Author | Rachel Cosgrove (Payes) |
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| Illustrator | Dirk Gringhuis |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Oz Books |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Reilly & Lee |
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Publication date
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1951 |
| Media type | print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 313 pp. |
| Preceded by | The Shaggy Man of Oz |
| Followed by | Merry Go Round in Oz |
The Hidden Valley of Oz is an exciting Oz book from 1951. It's the 39th book in the famous Oz series, which was started by L. Frank Baum. This story was written by Rachel R. Cosgrove and had pictures drawn by Dirk Gringhuis.
Contents
Meet Jam: A Real Kid in Oz
In many Oz books, the children are super brave and never scared. For example, Dorothy Gale in Hidden Valley thinks fighting a giant would be "lots of fun." But Rachel Cosgrove wanted her main character, Jam, to feel more real.
Jam often gets scared by the strange creatures and events around him. He misses his home and his parents a lot. His role in saving the day is also quite normal, not like a superhero. This makes him feel more like a real kid than many other children in Oz stories. The book even hints that Jam's parents worry about him while he's gone, which is rare for Oz books.
New Friends and Amazing Creatures
Every Oz author loves to add new characters to the magical land. These new friends often make the book special. Besides Jam, Rachel Cosgrove introduces many unique characters. You'll meet living books, snowmen, a grumpy giant, and even a rhyming dictionary! But her most memorable creations are Percy the white rat and the Leopard with the Changeable Spots.
Percy the "Personality Kid"
Cosgrove chose Percy the rat because she worked with lab rats and found them "fascinating" and "clever." Percy calls himself "the personality kid" because he's so outgoing. He's a funny, smart-mouthed character who calls everyone "kiddo." Cosgrove liked Percy so much that she used him again in her next Oz book, The Wicked Witch of Oz, and in a short story.
The Leopard with the Changeable Spots
The most amazing new character is the Leopard with the Changeable Spots, often called "Spots." His fur patterns change all the time! They shift from pink diamonds to violet hearts, or even spinning pinwheels. His spots show his feelings too. When he's unsure, he gets blue question marks. When he's angry, his spots turn into brightly colored swords and muskets.
Because he's so unique, other animals in the jungle didn't accept him. But in Oz, he fits right in with Dorothy's unusual friends. He's happy to be welcomed and accepted by them. Cosgrove also featured the Leopard in her story "Spots in Oz."
Jam's Adventure to Oz
The story begins with Jonathan Andrew Manley, called Jam, a boy from Ohio. His dad is a scientist. Jam is building a huge "collapsible kite" from a magazine. He makes it extra-large to fit his wood. He decides to try flying on it! He attaches a shipping crate and brings three of his dad's lab animals: two guinea pigs and a white rat. A strong wind lifts the kite, crate, and passengers high into the sky. Jam is on his way to Oz!
Landing in the Gillikin Country
The next day, the kite lands in the purple Gillikin Country. Jam is surprised to find that his animals can now talk! The guinea pigs call themselves Pinny and Gig, and the white rat introduces himself as Percy. Jam meets some local people who tell him about the area. This part of Oz is ruled by a mean, fifty-foot-tall giant named Terp the Terrible. Terp forces people to work in his vineyards and jam factory.
Terp captures Jam and is amused by his name. The giant threatens to eat Jam for breakfast the next day! He locks Jam and his animals in the highest tower of his castle.
Escaping Terp's Castle
Terp's castle has a magic muffin tree in its courtyard, guarded by a scary monster. The monster has an elephant's body, an alligator's tail, and two heads: an owl and a wolf. At night, Percy helps Jam and his friends escape the tower using a handy grapevine. They run away, but Percy bravely goes back to steal a magic muffin.
On the Gillikin plains, hostile centaurs called Equinots attack Jam and his friends. Percy scares them away by eating some of the magic muffin and growing ten times his normal size!
New Friends and a Plan
A kind farmer and his wife offer Jam and Percy a place to stay. Pinny and Gig, who don't like adventures, decide to stay at the farm as pets. Jam and Percy fly off again on the kite. They land at the tin castle of the Emperor of the Winkies, who is the Tin Woodman.
Soon, Dorothy Gale, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and the Hungry Tiger join them. After hearing Jam's story, the group decides to defeat Terp and free the Gillikin people.
Adventures on the Way
Their journey from the Winkie Country to the Gillikin lands takes them through a wild area. There, they meet their new friend, the Leopard with the Changeable Spots. They enter Bookville, where a mean King and his court try to press them into books. (These living books are like the playing cards in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.) Percy saves them by gnawing a way out of their bookshelf prison.
Another tricky adventure awaits them in Icetown. To escape an igloo prison, the Scarecrow bravely offers his straw stuffing to start a fire. (The Scarecrow did something similar in The Tin Woodman of Oz.)
Defeating Terp the Terrible
The travelers, with a newly stuffed Scarecrow, finally reach the Gillikin Country and the Hidden Valley. Percy's experiences with the magic muffin make them realize that Terp needs these muffins to stay giant. Jam and his friends, with help from the local people, trick Terp away from his castle. They hypnotize the guardian beast, making it harmless. The Tin Man then chops down the magic tree, killing it. Terp is trapped in the jam factory's smokestack until he shrinks back to his normal size.
Return to Ohio
The group travels to the Emerald City, where Jam is celebrated as a hero. After a big party, Ozma and the Wizard send Jam home to Ohio. Percy decides to stay in Oz. He convinces the Wizard to use magic to make him stay large forever!
