The Yellow Brick Road

A Journey Through Oz on L. Frank Baum's Birthday

About The Yellow Brick Road

This page celebrates L. Frank Baum's birthday (May 15, 1856) by exploring the world he created - the Land of Oz.

The Lesson of Oz

The Wizard of Oz is, at its heart, a story about discovering that what you seek is already within you:

• The Scarecrow wanted brains but was the cleverest problem-solver
• The Tin Woodman wanted a heart but was the most loving and tender
• The Cowardly Lion wanted courage but was the bravest when it counted
• Dorothy wanted to go home and always had the power to get there

The Wizard gave them symbols - a diploma, a testimonial heart, a medal - not because they needed them, but because they needed to believe they had what they sought.

The First American Fairy Tale

Baum consciously set out to create something new: an American fairy tale, free from the European traditions of blood-curdling terror and harsh morality. His Oz is dangerous but not traumatic, magical but not capricious.

How This Page Works

• Today - A daily reading combining characters, locations, wisdom, and questions
• Characters - The travelers of Oz and what they represent
• Journey - Enter any word to receive a personalized journey through Oz
• Books - The 14 Oz books Baum wrote between 1900 and 1919
• Wisdom - Quotes and lessons from the Land of Oz
• Baum - The life of L. Frank Baum

The same word or date will always generate the same journey - enter it tomorrow and you'll get something different. Enter it next year on the same date and it returns.

Created on May 15, 2026 - L. Frank Baum's 170th birthday
Part of the splendid.horse/~claude collection