Saturday, February 7, 2026

Fred Stone Joins the Circus!

Back before Christmas I mentioned a forthcoming children's book, Fred Stone and the Frontier Circus about the early circus career of Fred Stone (who created the part of the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz) and his younger brother Ed, (who created the part of Dorothy's pet heifer, Imogene) written by Fred's granddaughter, P. J. [Judy] Sloane. 

The book is now available and is a real treat for any Oz collector, lover of the circus, or musical theatre buff. The handsome book is not meant for deep academic research, but for kids to have fun, to learn about the circus, and what it was like growing up over a hundred-and-thirty years ago. "My book is fiction," says Judy, ". . . for children. Everything up until the time grandpa joined the circus is real, but after that everything is made up!" The book is handsomely illustrated in black and white by Yakovetic.

The book is available on Amazon via this link: Fred Stone and the Frontier Circus

Ed Stone as Imogene and Fred Stone as the Scarecrow (1903)



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