From The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Scarecrow
A stuffed friend • Seeking wise brains
A cheerful stuffed man who longs for brains but is already clever and observant.
Who is Scarecrow?
The Scarecrow is a cheerful straw man who winks at Dorothy from his pole in a Munchkin cornfield. He joins her trip because he wishes the Wizard would give him brains. Yet again and again, he notices dangers, makes plans and comes up with ideas that help his friends get through trouble.
Scarecrow is a character in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.
What is Scarecrow like?
- cheerful
- clever
- friendly
Scarecrow’s story
Dorothy finds the Scarecrow hanging on a pole in a cornfield. He was made by a Munchkin farmer, and he has only been alive a short time. He is lifted down and joins her on the road, hoping the Wizard will give him brains in place of straw. He worries that he knows nothing, but he soon proves otherwise.
He thinks of the plan that gets the friends across a deep ravine, with the Tin Woodman chopping down a tree to make a bridge. He also suggests calling the Field Mice to rescue the sleeping Lion from the poppy field. When he is stuck on a pole in the middle of a river, a stork lifts him to safety. The Winged Monkeys later pull out his straw, but his friends stuff him again.
The Wizard fills his head with bran, pins and needles and says he is now clever. When the Wizard leaves in his balloon, the Scarecrow is left in charge of the Emerald City.
“I am only a Scarecrow, stuffed with straw.”
A moment to remember
In the field of sleepy red poppies, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman make a seat with their hands and carry Dorothy out to safe green grass.
Family and friends
- Dorothy Gale: found him on his pole
- Tin Woodman: best friend on the road
- Cowardly Lion: traveling companion
- The Wizard of Oz: gives him new brains
Talk about it
The Scarecrow thought he had no brains, but he had lots of good ideas. When have you figured out a tricky problem?
Questions about Scarecrow
- What does the Scarecrow want from the Wizard?
- He wants brains. He thinks his head is stuffed with straw, so he cannot think well.
- What does the Wizard give the Scarecrow in the book?
- The Wizard fills the Scarecrow’s head with bran, pins and needles. He calls this brains, and the Scarecrow feels very wise.
- Who rules the Emerald City at the end of the book?
- The Scarecrow does. The Wizard leaves him in charge when he sails away in his balloon.
Read the story in
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Ages 6–9, 72 pages
