My friends the children are responsible for this new "Oz Book," as they were for the last one, which was called The Land of Oz. Their sweet little letters plead to cognize "more simply about Dorothy"; and they ask: "What became of the Afraid Lion?" and "What did Ozma do afterward?"--meaning, of course, after she became the Ruler of Oz. And several of them suggest plots to me, saying: "Please have Dorothy go to the Land of Oz again"; or, "Why don't you do Ozma and Dorothy meet, and have a nice time together?" Indeed, could I do all that my little friends ask, I would be be duty bound to write dozens of books to satisfy their demands. And I will I could, for I enjoy writing these stories simply as more as the children say they enjoy reading them.

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