DLTK's Crafts for Kids
L. Frank Baum's Birthday - May 15th, 1856
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May 15th is a very exciting day to celebrate because it was the day that the creator of the Wizard of Oz was born—Frank L. Baum was born on this day in 1856. He was born in Chittenango, New York and the town is incredibly proud to be the hometown of such a famous writer because they host a Oz-straveganza each year to celebrate the work of Frank L. Baum.
Baum's first name is actually Lyman, but he preferred to go by his middle name Frank. In his early adulthood he spent a lot of time exploring different jobs such as being a journalist, businessman, playwright, and actor. It wasn't until his forties that he first began writing children's books. He had a huge talent for creating stories for children and often would make up nursery rhymes and bedtime stories for his four children. His first published book was titled Mother Goose in Prose and it included 22 stories. A similar book was Father Goose, which ended up being a top-selling children's book.
In 1900 he wrote his first Oz book with characters from Dorothy and Todo to the Scarecrow and Tinman. The first book he wrote about Oz was titled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He wrote many sequels to the first Oz book and also helped to create a Broadway musical and short films about the Oz tales. Sadly, Frank L. Baum passed away just shortly before his sixty-second birthday on May 6th, 1919. He was a great story teller who created an amazing world for children and adults alike, so many more artists took up the work to carry developing the world of Oz. For example, twenty years after Baum's death (on August 18th 1939), the full movie called The Wizard of Oz and starring Judy Garland premiered on the big screen. Other authors began writing stories about the world of Oz and one of those books by Gregory Maguire was adapted to become the famous Broadway musical, Wicked. Frank L. Baum's incredible imagination created a marvelous world with many beloved characters that have been enjoyed for generations!
Below are some crafts and activities to help celebrate Frank L. Baum's birthday! Who is your favourite character from the Wizard of Oz?
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Other Holidays You May Be Interested In:
- Children's Book Week – 1st Full Week of May and 2nd Full Week of November