A New Wonderland by L. Frank Baum Fiction Fantasy Fairy Tales Folk Tales Legends & Mythology

<p><strong>It is the nature of children to scorn realities which crowd into their lives all too quickly with advancing years.</strong> Childhood is the time for fables for dreams for joy. These stories are not true; they could not be true and be so marvelous. No one is expected to believe them; they were meant to excite laughter and to gladden the heart. Perhaps some of those big grown-up people will poke fun of us -- at you for reading these nonsense tales of the Magical Monarch and at me for writing them. Never mind. Many of the big folk are still children -- even as you and I. We cannot measure a child by a standard of size or age. The big folk who are children will be our comrades; the others we need not consider at all for they are self-exiled from our domain. - L. Frank Baum June 1903</p>