Yellow brick road facts for kids

The Yellow Brick Road is a famous path from the classic children's story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. It's a magical road made of bright yellow bricks that leads to the amazing Emerald City. This road is where many exciting adventures happen for the main character, Dorothy Gale, and her friends.

Quick facts for kids Yellow brick road
Dorothy and her companions befriend the Cowardly Lion, while traveling on the yellow brick road--illustration by W. W. Denslow (1900).
The Oz series location
Created by	L. Frank Baum
Genre	Classics children's books
Type	Road paved with yellow bricks, leading to its destination--Emerald City

The Yellow Brick Road first appeared in the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It also shows up in other Oz books, like The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) and The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913).

The road is most famous from the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz. This movie is based on Baum's first Oz book. In the original book, the road was often called the "Road of Yellow Bricks". In the book and later movies like The Wiz (1978), Dorothy has to find the road herself. Her house didn't land right in front of it, unlike in the 1939 movie.

Real-Life Yellow Brick Roads

Many places claim to be the inspiration for the Yellow Brick Road. It's fun to think about where such a magical idea might have come from!

Possible Inspirations for the Road

• Peekskill, New York: Some people believe the road was inspired by a real road in Peekskill. L. Frank Baum went to military school there.
• Holland, Michigan: Another idea is that it came from yellow brick roads in Holland, Michigan. Baum spent his summers there. His great-grandson, Roger S. Baum, also said the road was named after winding cobblestone roads in Holland, Michigan.
• Ithaca, New York: Ithaca also has a claim. Baum started a musical tour there and met his future wife, Maud Gage Baum. At that time, some local roads in Ithaca were paved with yellow bricks.
• Dallas, Texas: One story says Baum stayed at a hotel in Dallas. The streets were paved with yellow wooden blocks. After a rainstorm, the sun made them look like a bright yellow brick road from his window.

Other Places with Yellow Brick Roads

You can find real yellow brick roads in many towns across the United States and even other countries. Some of these places include:

• Aberdeen, South Dakota
• Albany, New York
• Rossville, Maryland
• Montclair, New Jersey
• Bronxville, New York
• Chicago, Illinois
• Liberal, Kansas
• Sedan, Kansas
• Chittenango, New York
• Abington, Pennsylvania
• Sofia, Bulgaria

Also, parts of U.S. Route 54 in Kansas are called "the yellow brick road."

Creating a Yellow Brick Road in Wamego, Kansas

In Wamego, Kansas, there's a project to build a real "Yellow Brick Road." The Vision Oz Fund started in 2009 to help create Oz-themed attractions. They sell personalized yellow bricks that become part of a permanent walkway in downtown Wamego. This helps bring the magic of the story to life!