Hello lovelies! Next in our story, after our friends
escape the terrible Kalidahs they are faced with a raging river that they have
to cross.
This adventure made the travellers more
anxious than ever to get out of the forest, and they walked so fast that
Dorothy became tired, and had to ride on the Lion's back. To their great joy
the trees became thinner the farther they advanced, and in the afternoon, they
suddenly came upon a broad river, flowing swiftly just before them. On the
other side of the water they could see the road of yellow brick running through
a beautiful country, with green meadows dotted with bright flowers and all the
road bordered with trees hanging full of delicious fruits. They were greatly
pleased to see this delightful country before them.
"How shall we cross the river?"
asked Dorothy.
"That is easily done," replied
the Scarecrow. "The Tin Woodman must build us a raft, so we can float to
the other side."
This is the scene I have chosen to illustrate. I used
some of the Eric Carle tissue paper to create two bands of grass and a raging
river in between then I built a raft of lolly sticks.
One of the things I like about this book compared to
the film is how important food and rest are. Dorothy needs to find food, and
the book makes it clear she will die without it. Luckily, there are a lot of fruit trees all over Oz, but at one point as they near the Emerald City she remarks, "I should like something to eat besides fruit and I am sure Toto is nearly starved." She and Toto and the Lion also
need rest. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman have to occupy themselves all
night to allow their “meat” companions to sleep.
I also really like that things are done in real time
in the book. In a film, if a character has to build a raft you either get a
montage of raft building or the start of chopping a tree down and all of a
sudden—it’s done! Here the text says:
So the Woodman took his axe and began to
chop down small trees to make a raft, and while he was busy at this the
Scarecrow found on the riverbank a tree full of fine fruit. This pleased
Dorothy, who had eaten nothing but nuts all day, and she made a hearty meal of
the ripe fruit.
But
it takes time to make a raft, even when one is as industrious and untiring as
the Tin Woodman, and when night came the work was not done. So they found a
cosy place under the trees where they slept well until the morning; and Dorothy
dreamed of the Emerald City, and of the good Wizard Oz, who would soon send her
back to her own home again.
Our little party of travellers awakened
the next morning refreshed and full of hope, and Dorothy breakfasted like a
princess off peaches and plums from the trees beside the river. Behind them was
the dark forest they had passed safely through, although they had suffered many
discouragements; but before them was a lovely, sunny country that seemed to
beckon them on to the Emerald City.
To be sure, the broad river now cut them
off from this beautiful land. But the raft was nearly done, and after the Tin
Woodman had cut a few more logs and fastened them together with wooden pins,
they were ready to start. Dorothy sat down in the middle of the raft and held
Toto in her arms. When the Cowardly Lion stepped upon the raft it tipped badly,
for he was big and heavy; but the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman stood upon the
other end to steady it, and they had long poles in their hands to push the raft
through the water.
They continue down the river until the Scarecrow
pushed so hard on his long pole that it stuck fast in the mud at the bottom of
the river. Then, before he could pull it out again--or let go--the raft was
swept away, and the poor Scarecrow was left clinging to the pole in the middle
of the river.
"Good-bye!" he called after
them, and they were very sorry to leave him. Indeed, the Tin Woodman began to
cry, but fortunately remembered that he might rust, and so dried his tears on
Dorothy's apron.
The current is raging by this point and so the Lion
jumps out and says:
"Something must be done to save us. I
think I can swim to the shore and pull the raft after me, if you will only hold
fast to the tip of my tail."
As they sit on the bank trying to figure out how to
rescue their friend a stork flies by.
"If he wasn't so big and heavy I
would get him for you," remarked the Stork.
"He isn't heavy a bit," said
Dorothy eagerly, "for he is stuffed with straw; and if you will bring him
back to us, we shall thank you ever and ever so much."
"Well, I'll try," said the
Stork, "but if I find he is too heavy to carry I shall have to drop him in
the river again."
This is my second illustration. It is not that
dynamic. It is not my best one. But there was little I could think of to do. I
used the same template (just larger) for the Scarecrow that I did on page 9 and
made him at a jaunty angle. And had the stork’s feet coming down to carry him
away. I had a heck of a time trying to get the Scarecrow to stick to the page.
I was really frustrated when I remembered that previously he had been stuck down
with double stick foam since he was on a stick and that had raised him up so I used
that on the arm that refused to stick down.
Here they are side by side. It is worth noting that
the more pages I do, the more it refuses to lie flat for a photo.
While this is part of the story I remember, it is not
one of my favourite parts. Perhaps that is why I was so uninspired .Stay tuned
for the deadly poppy field!
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