Other editions of book Policeman Bluejay

Two children, Twinkle and Chubbins, are lost in the Great Forest when they encounter the evil tuxix. The tuxix casts a spell on Twinkle and Chubbins and turns them into little birds with their human ends. The bird-children meet Policeman Bluejay who shows them around the land of the birds and teaches them about the cruelty that can exist between humans and animals. Twinkle and Chubbins witness the cruelty of humans firsthand and find themselves in danger as well. An eagle comes to their rescue, but they quickly find themselves in danger again when the eagle's babies want to feast on Twinkle and Chubbins - another lesson in the lives of animals that the children must learn. Policeman Bluejay takes them away to the safety of the Paradise of Birds where they witness several wonderful things, such as bees and butterflies. The King Bird of Paradise instructs Twinkle and Chubbins on how to return to their human forms, but the children walk away with a lot of lessons learned. L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) was an American author of children's books, most famous for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Baum wrote 13 sequels to his first Oz book and still has a huge fan base to this day. Policeman Bluejay was originally published under the pen name Laura Bancraft and focuses on the importance of kindness to animals.

*This Book is annotated (it contains a detailed biography of the author). *An active Table of Contents has been added by the publisher for a better customer experience. *This book has been checked and corrected for spelling errors. Policeman Bluejay or Babes inn Birdland is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum. First published in 1907, it has been considered one of the best of Baum's works.At the story's start, Twinkle and Chubbins are lost in a "great forest." They encounter a "tuxix" — a creature that looks like a spiny turtle, but is in reality "a magician, a sorcerer, a wizard, and a witch all rolled into one...and you can imagine what a dreadful thing that would be." The evil tuxix casts a spell on the children, transforming them into little bird-like beings, with their own heads but the bodies of skylarks. (They resemble the human-headed, bird-bodied sirins, alkonosts, and gamayuns of Russian folklore.) Policeman Bluejay, the force of order in the avian world of the forest, leads the two child-larks on a flight through the sky; he esconces them in an abandoned thrush's nest in a maple tree, and with the help of a friendly eagle he retrieves their picnic basket (so that they don't have to eat bugs, worms, and grubs).

Two small children, Twinkle and Chubbins, are enchanted by a wicked "tuxix" so that their bodies become those of birds. While so transformed, they can speak to all the birds and animals, and they learn a great deal about the wild creatures of the forest. Of course, this is no ordinary forest; it is a nature fairyland, and the Royal Necromancer of the bird Kingdom of Paradise informs them that they must each eat a tingle-berry as antidote to undo the evil enchantment. So they set out to find a tingle-berry bush and lose no time in resuming their natural forms.

"The question is often asked me whether Twinkle and Chubbins were asleep or awake when they encountered these wonderful adventures; and it grieves me to reflect that the modern child has been deprived of fairy tales to such an extent that it does not know -- as I did when a girl -- that in a fairy story it does not matter whether one is awake or not. You must accept it as you would a fragrant breeze that cools your brow, a draft of sweet water, or the delicious flavor of a strawberry, and be grateful for the pleasure it brings you, without stopping to question too closely its source. For my part I am glad if my stories serve to while away a pleasant hour before bedtime or keep one contented on a rainy day. In this way they are sure to be useful and if a little tenderness for the helpless animals and birds is acquired with the amusement, the value of the tales will be doubled." -- L. Frank Baum

Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) is one of America’s most read authors, and he is widely considered one of the premier authors of children’s books. Baum wrote dozens of novels and short stories, as well as hundreds of poems, and he even foresaw technological innovations such as computers, televisions and mobile phones, all of which made their way into his writing.Baum, however, is still best known and best regarded for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and several other titles that took place in the fantasy world of Oz. Every American is familiar with Dorothy and Toto, and Oz has been adapted for movies, screenplays, and more ever since.

Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) is one of America’s most read authors, and he is widely considered one of the premier authors of children’s books. Baum wrote dozens of novels and short stories, as well as hundreds of poems, and he even foresaw technological innovations such as computers, televisions and mobile phones, all of which made their way into his writing. Baum, however, is still best known and best regarded for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and several other titles that took place in the fantasy world of Oz. Every American is familiar with Dorothy and Toto, and Oz has been adapted for movies, screenplays, and more ever since. This book, as well as others, was originally published under one of Baum’s several pseudonyms, but was republished under his name shortly before his death. Baum took his Policeman Bluejay character from the Twinkle Tale "Bandit Jim Crow" and made him the main character of a children's novel. Policeman Bluejay is widely considered Baum's best non-Oz work.

The question is often asked me whether Twinkle and Chubbins were asleep or awake when they encountered these wonderful adventures; and it grieves me to reflect that the modern child has been deprived of fairy tales to such an extent that it does not know -- as I did when a girl -- that in a fairy story it does not matter whether one is awake or not. You must accept it as you would a fragrant breeze that cools your brow, a draft of sweet water, or the delicious flavor of a strawberry, and be grateful for the pleasure it brings you, without stopping to question too closely its source.For my part I am glad if my stories serve to while away a pleasant hour before bedtime or keep one contented on a rainy day. In this way they are sure to be useful, and if a little tenderness for the helpless animals and birds is acquired with the amusement, the value of the tales will be doubled.-- The Author

Policeman Bluejay CHAPTER I Little Ones in Trouble "SEEMS to me, Chub," said Twinkle, "that we're lost." "Seems to me, Twink," said Chubbins, "that it isn't we that's lost. It's the path." "It was here a minute ago," declared Twinkle. "But it isn't here now," replied the boy. "That's true," said the girl. It really was queer. They had followed the straight path into the great forest, and had only stopped for a moment to sit down and rest, with the basket between them and their backs to a big tree. Twinkle winked just twice, because she usually took a nap in the afternoon, and Chubbins merely closed his eyes a second to find out if he could see that long streak of sunshine through his pink eyelids. Yet during this second, which happened while Twinkle was winking, the path had run away and left them without any guide or any notion which way they ought to go. Another strange thing was that when they jumped up to look around them the nearest trees began sliding away, in a circle, leaving the little girl and boy in a clear space. And the trees continued moving back and back, farther and farther, until all their trunks were jammed tight together, and not even a mouse could have crept between them. They made a solid ring around Twinkle and Chubbins, who stood looking at this transformation with wondering eyes.