John Dough and the Cherub


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(4.8 stars; 12 reviews)

An evil Arabian sorcerer loans a golden flask full of the Great Elixir - a magic liquid that endows a person with pronounced health, strength, and longevity - to a colorblind baker's wife to stop it falling into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, the woman mixes up the Elixir with her rheumatism medicine, which, through even more misunderstanding, then ends up being used in batch of gingerbread. Out of this dough comes John Dough, a six-foot novelty gingerbread man who promptly comes to life and runs away, in an echo of an old nursery rhyme. Pursued by the evil sorcerer, who wants to eat him to gain the power of immortality, and children, who want to eat him because he's made of cake, John Dough and his sidekick the Cherub flee through a variety of strange fantasy lands and bizarre scenarios, including an encounter with "The King of Fairy Beavers," an animated Wooden Indian, a girl executioner who never gets to kill anybody and weeps over the fact, a two-legged talking horse that bullies its rider, and the youthful and tyrannical "Kinglet" of Phreex. Will John Dough escape those who want him eaten?
Though the novel (published in 1906) is not considered part of the Oz canon, its main characters make cameo appearances in The Road to Oz (1909). - Summary by Mary Kay, E. Toland and Wikipedia (4 hr 27 min)

Chapters

The Great Elixir 12:15 Read by Beth Thomas (1974-2020)
The Two Flasks 3:50 Read by Rob Smith
The Gingerbread Man 8:35 Read by Rob Smith
John Dough Begins his Adventures 14:22 Read by Beth Thomas (1974-2020)
Chick, the Cherub 51:40 Read by Leslie Howard
The Freaks of Phreex 16:52 Read by Lynne T
The Lady Executioner 13:12 Read by Rob Smith
The Palace of Romance 12:34 Read by Rob Smith
The Silver Pig 5:10 Read by Rob Smith
Pittypat and the Mifkets 17:40 Read by Mark Nelson
The Island Princess 11:14 Read by Diana Schmidt
Para Bruin, the Rubber Bear 13:11 Read by Mark Nelson
Black Ooboo 16:43 Read by Mark Nelson
Under Land and Water 12:15 Read by Mark Nelson
The Fairy Beavers 18:53 Read by Kalynda
The Flight of the Flamingoes 10:25 Read by Mark Nelson
Sport of Pirate Island 9:42 Read by Joseph Tabler
Hiland and Loland 13:31 Read by Mark Nelson
King Dough and his Court 5:27 Read by Rob Smith

Reviews

John dough and the cherub


(5 stars)

Delightful charming little story

it was great


(5 stars)

a fantastic tale by the Writer of the wizard of oz. the main Character was named in the road to oz at ozmas birthday party

rew


(5 stars)

I really like Baum and the readers did very well

Didn’t like it


(3 stars)

The reading is good.