"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum. What more needs to be said? This is a classic tale, the first American Fairy Tale. If you've never read the book, why it's practically a duty to do so. As a kid, watching "The Wizard of Oz" movie starring Judy Garland (1939) on television was a annual event. The book is very different from the movie version, both are great fun in their own way.