The Sea Fairies facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | L. Frank Baum |
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| Illustrator | John R. Neill |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Reilly & Britton |
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Publication date
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1911 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 240 pp. |
| Followed by | Sky Island |
The Sea Fairies is an exciting adventure story for kids. It's a fantasy novel written by L. Frank Baum, who also wrote the famous Oz books. The pictures in the book were drawn by John R. Neill. It was first published in 1911 by the Reilly & Britton Company.
Contents
What Kind of Story Is The Sea Fairies?
The Sea Fairies is a fantasy story that takes place underwater. It's similar to other books about amazing underwater worlds. For example, it's like The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley, which came out much earlier. Another book with a similar theme is Wet Magic by E. Nesbit.
The title of Baum's book is the same as a poem from 1830 by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. However, the stories are not connected.
What Happens in The Sea Fairies?
The story is about a young girl named Mayre Griffiths. Everyone calls her Trot, or sometimes Tiny Trot. She lives by the ocean in sunny southern California.
Trot's dad is a ship captain. Her best friend is Cap'n Bill Weedles. He's a retired sailor with a wooden leg. Cap'n Bill used to be Trot's father's boss.
Trot and Cap'n Bill's Adventure Begins
Trot and Cap'n Bill love exploring the beaches. They also enjoy rowing and sailing along the coast. One day, Trot wishes she could meet a mermaid. Her wish is heard by real mermaids!
The next day, her wish comes true. The mermaids explain that they are friendly fairies. They offer Trot a chance to visit their underwater home. Trot is super excited about this!
Cap'n Bill is very loyal to Trot. He decides he can't let her go alone. So, he joins her on this amazing journey.
Exploring the Underwater World
Trot and Cap'n Bill begin their adventure with the sea fairies. They see incredible things in the kingdom of Queen Aquarine and King Anko. They even meet an octopus who is embarrassed to learn he's a symbol for a big oil company!
But their journey isn't all fun. They meet a very bad guy named Zog the Magician. Zog is a scary creature, part man, part animal, and part fish. He is one of the few truly evil characters in Baum's books.
Facing the Villain Zog
Zog and his sea devils capture Trot and Cap'n Bill. They hold them prisoner. Our heroes discover that many sailors thought to be lost at sea were actually captured by Zog. He made them his slaves.
Trot and Cap'n Bill are brave and clever. They manage to survive Zog's challenges. In the end, the good forces of the sea fairies defeat Zog.
After their big underwater adventure, Trot and Cap'n Bill are returned to their human forms. They are safe and dry, back on land.
The Sea Fairies in Movies and Shows
In 1985, someone wanted to make a movie based on The Sea Fairies. It was planned as a follow-up to the movie Return to Oz. However, that movie didn't do very well, so the Sea Fairies project was stopped.
Later, an animated video called Journey Beneath the Sea was released. This video was part of The Oz Kids series. It was loosely based on the story of The Sea Fairies.
