Oz : The Hundredth Anniversary Celebration (2000)
Edited by Peter Glassman
https://archive.org/details/ozhundredthanniv0000unse
A commemorative picture book published to honor the centennial of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this anthology features thirty well known children’s authors and illustrators heavily inspired by L. Frank Baum’s original work, including Natalie Babbitt (Tuck Everlasting), Madeleine L’Engle (A Wrinkle in Time), Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are), Tomie dePaola (Strega Nona), and Chris Van Allsburg (The Polar Express). Even Eric Carle turns his very hungry caterpillar into a very hungry Tin Man! All the authors and illustrators share their personal connections and/or original artwork, honoring the impact Oz has had on their lives and imagination as well as on young readers.
Wicked: A Musical Biography (2011)
By Paul R Laird
Chronicling the creation of the Broadway blockbuster Wicked from its literary origins to theatre phenomenon lead by composer Steven Schwartz, readers relive the production’s history, collaborative efforts, and initial reception, quite astonishingly being snubbed the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical and Best Score. The book also positions Wicked within the broader context of modern musical theatre as well as its role in reinterpreting The Wizard of Oz for 21st-century audiences, revealing all the musical motifs and nods to the original Arlen and Harburg score hidden like Easter eggs in the Wicked score!
The Wizard of Oz and American Myth: A Critical Study of Six Versions of the Story, 1900-2007 (2014)
By Alissa Berger
Alissa Berger’s critical volume examines six cornerstones in the Oz verse, including both the book and musical versions of Wicked as well as the SyFy Channel miniseries Tin Man (2007) starring Zooey Deschanel as our heroine DG. Tin Man would also begin a chain of Oz returning to television next in ABC’s Once Upon a Time (2011) and then NBC’s Emerald City (2017). Berger highlights the reoccurring themes that flow and shift amongst these significant adaptations and how the Oz narrative continually reinvents itself in various mediums.
Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical (2011)
By Stacy Ellen Wolf
The 2003 musical Wicked has spoken deeply to the queer community as well as young women finding themselves and their besties. Stacy Wolf offers a seminal POV, focusing on the female friendship shared between Elphaba and Glinda replacing the traditional heterosexual romance typically at a musical’s core. She also examines Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship through a queer lens, dubbed “Gelphie” in the Wicked fandom, and connects Elphaba’s “Defying Gravity” to a lineage of powerhouse leading ladies with show stopping numbers.
NPR’s Ariana Grande says 'Wicked' was a gift -- and she's proud to be in a 'beautiful coven' (2025)
Fresh Air
Ariana Grande is one of the most popular musical artists of the 21st century, raised on The Wizard of Oz and Judy Garland, and completely changed for good when she went to see the original cast of Wicked on Broadway when she was 10 years old. She even got to go backstage and meet original Glinda Kristin Chenoweth, telling her she wanted to be her someday! Ariana’s role as Glinda now in the Wicked film franchise is rooted in a deep love for America’s oldest fairytale and its undeniable impact it has had through out her life. In her musical number "Popular," Ariana can be seen playfully clicking the heels together of a pair of ruby red pumps, paying homage to the original MGM film that has mean so much to her!