Dorothy Visits Kinnelon Library

Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz actually visited the Kinnelon Library on March 4, 2010. She decided she needed to tell her story about her adventures in the Land of Oz.

In full Dorothy garb - and temporarily accompanied by her dog Toto [aka Coco, dyed for the occasion] - Dorothy [aka Louise Solomon] started out explaining how bored she was living on a farm, in the country....

In the background played "Somewhere over the rainbow..." as Dorothy talked about her wish... to find a "place where there isn't any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It's not a place you can get to by a boat or a train. It's far, far away. Behind the moon, beyond the rain."

The children walked with her through a "twister" and OVER a rainbow to the Kinnelon Library storytime room [i.e., definitely not Kansas!] where Dorothy told them an abridged version of the Wizard of Oz during which they met a munchkin, saw a house with 2 legs sticking out with ruby slippers...and followed the yellow brink road in the room, where Dorothy meets three friends, who are all looking for their hopes.

The children enjoyed scared themselves by imagining lions and tigers and bears and saying "OH MY"... [half of the group said the animals and the other half replied].

They slept in the field of poppies and came across a witch. Luckily, Dorothy had a bucket of water (pieces of paper) and threw them on the witch and the kids.

Finally, they all reached the land of OZ:, everyone got what they needed (heart, brain, courage). Glenda reappeared and everyone repeated "there's no place like home......" Dorothy reminded the children that "whatever you are looking for, whatever you feel you DON'T have (courage, being scared...etc.), it is all inside you."

As you can tell from the pictures, the storytime room was marvelously decorated with characters, lights, curtains, etc. -- all thanks to Louise Solomon who also worked with the children to make a rainbow shake-snowball of the colors of the rainbow. Emma loved hers!

The children also received a handout with:

+ The words to Over The Rainbow
+ An explanation: a horse of a different color is a different matter or separate issue altogether
+ Quotes:

" Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore," says Dorothy.

"Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking," says Dorothy.

"A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others," says the Wizard of Oz.

"Close your eyes and tap your heels together three times. And think to yourself, there's no place like home."

Tin Woodsman: "What have you learned, Dorothy?"

Dorothy: "Well, I - I think that it - it wasn't enough to just want to see Uncle Henry and Auntie Em - and it's that - if I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with! Is that right?"

"There's no place like home."

Last part of the evening included a scavenger hunt for grades 4-5. If you haven't yet taken part in the Kinnelon Library scavenger hunts, you need to get with the program. Stay tuned for a separate post on the subject.

Thank you, Louise, for once again putting on a memorable Dorothy visit for our children!