What happens?
Dorothy and her friends leave the Emerald City and head West to the Land of the Winkies. The Wicked Witch of the West spots them from afar and decides to send her minions to destroy them. The travellers manage to defeat everyone the witch sends until the Winged Monkeys come along. The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman are broken and Dorothy and the Lion are captured and taken to the Witch’s castle.
Have a think ..
Take a moment to think about these questions:
Why do you think Dorothy’s dress has turned white?
Why do you think the Wicked Witch carries an umbrella?
The Scarecrow wants brains, the Tin Woodman wants a heart and the Lion wants courage. Do you think they’re right?
Focus on .. witches
The travellers travel to the Land of the Winkies, home of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Find out more
In past times many people in Scotland many people believed in witches and even King James VI of Scotland was very anti witchcraft.
Those accused of witchcraft were hunted down and killed. Here is the story of one poor woman.
Here is a brief guide to other Scottish witches. There was a petition a few years ago to pardon one of these women, Helen Duncan.
Challenge yourself!
Could the Wicked Witch of The West just be misunderstood and not really evil? Why does the Wizard of Oz want to kill her?
Can you make up your own story of why The Wicked Witch of the West and the Wizard of Oz are enemies?
More to explore
If you loved this chapter, why not check out some more ideas
More to read
These books should be available through your secondary school librarian. If we’ve found a free version online, we’ve added the link after each book.
The wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell. Publisher’s trailer.
The witches by Roald Dahl. A boy’s grandmother tells him how witches disguise themselves in public, and how they hate children.
Howl’s moving castle by Diana Wynne Jones. The Witch of the Wastes puts Sophie under a spell, but she’s not allowed to tell anyone about it.
Chronicles of ancient darkness by Michelle Paver. Torak and his orphaned wolf cub travel across an ancient land on a series of magical missions. Series website.
The Wardstone Chronicles by Joseph Delaney. The Spook travels around the north of England fighting evil spirits and witches with his apprentice, Thomas Ward. Scary stuff. Series website.
The wolf wilder by Katherine Rundell. Feo works with her mother to make wolves wild again. When they are threatened, the family and the wolves all go on the run across Russia.
