Who is Dorothy in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?

Dorothy Gale is Baum’s young heroine — practical, kind, brave without swagger — raised on a hardscrabble Kansas farm with Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. Cyclone carries her house to Oz, crushing the Wicked Witch of the East and beginning her journey down the yellow brick road. She wears silver shoes with magic she learns about only at the end.

Dorothy leads through loyalty more than magic. She asks sensible questions, cries when tired, and keeps going. Baum gives her agency without cynicism. Teach Dorothy as American everychild — curious, homesick, capable — against glittering Oz and false wizardry.