The Wrath of Peace or How the Wellikans Saved the World: This captivating story follows the journey of twins Anja and Zack, two young witches who are separated from their parents after a ruthless dictator named Nexus takes control of the world. Guided by a mysterious, elderly witch, they set out to find the Wellikans, a hidden people living on a dark and secretive island. With her wisdom and support, Anja and Zack reach the island and join forces with scientists and the Wellikans to challenge Nexus’s formidable technological power.

Written by Zipes, a prolific author and political activist since the 60s, this novella reflects his belief that the world’s conditions have deteriorated for many, particularly the young, and that fascism has crept into even the smallest corners of the globe. It is a hopeful tale of resistance and defiance, intended for his grandchildren and anyone who believes in standing up against oppression.

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The Grammar of Fantasy: A groundbreaking pedagogical work that is also a handbook for writers of all ages and kinds, The Grammar of Fantasy offers a playful, practical path to finding your own voice through the power of storytelling. Full of ideas, glosses on fairy tales, stories, and wide-ranging activities, this book changed how creative arts were taught in Italian schools.

Gianni Rodari is not only revered as a children’s author, but also remembered for his visionary pedagogy, and it is these two fields he combines in this revolutionary essay collection. Translated into English by acclaimed scholar of folklore and children’s literature Jack Zipes, and with original art from illustrator Matthew Forsythe, this edition of The Grammar of Fantasy is one to live with and return to for its humor, intelligence, and remarkable understanding of children.

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The Wizard of Oz: And Other Wonderful Books of Oz: This fully annotated volume collects three of Baum’s fourteen Oz novels in which he developed his utopian vision and which garnered an immense and loyal following. The Wizard of Oz (1900) introduces Dorothy, who arrives from Kansas and meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, and a host of other characters. The Emerald City of Oz (1910) finds Dorothy, Aunt Em, and Uncle Henry coming to Oz just as the wicked Nome King is plotting to conquer its people. In Baum’s final novel, Glinda of Oz (1920), Dorothy and Princess Ozma try to prevent a battle between the Skeezers and the Flatheads. Tapping into a deeply rooted desire in himself and his loyal readers to live in a peaceful country which values the sharing of talents and gifts, Baum’s imaginative creation, like all great utopian literature, holds out the possibility for change. Baum’s classics spawned many adaptations, including the 1939 Judy Garland-starring classic film The Wizard of Oz and Gregory McGuire’s novel 1995 WICKED: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE WICKED WITH OF THE WEST, which was adapted into the second-highest grossing Broadway musical of all time Wicked (with a film version forthcoming in 2024 starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande). Also included is a selection of the original illustrations by W. W. Denslow and John R. Neill, a jacketed hardcover, and colored and printed endpapers.

Jack Zipes is Professor Emeritus of German at the University of Minnesota and has previously held professorships at New York University, the University of Munich, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Florida. In addition to his scholarly work, he is an active storyteller in public schools and has worked with children’s theaters in France, Germany, Canada, and the United States. In 1997, he founded a storytelling and creative drama program, Neighborhood Bridges, in collaboration with the Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis that is still thriving in the elementary schools of the Twin Cities. Regarded as a major American translator, he has published The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (1987), Beauties, Beasts, and Enchantment: Classic French Fairy Tales (1989), The Fairy Tales of Hermann Hesse (1995), and he has also edited Spells of Enchantment: The Wondrous Fairy Tales of Western Culture (1991), The Outspoken Princess and the Gentle Knight (1994), The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales (2000), and Buried Treasures: The Political Power of Fairy Tales (2023).