In 1939, Aleksandr Volkov’s fairy tale “The Wizard of the Emerald City” was published, marking the beginning of a large series of works. In the 1930s, the future writer taught mathematics at the Moscow Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals and Gold. At the same time, he attended a foreign language club, where he studied English. As part of the course, the teacher handed out children’s books to students, and one of them – the story “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by American author L. Frank Baum – landed in Volkov’s hands. To practice the language, he began translating the book and retelling it to his sons before bedtime. The story of Dorothy fascinated the boys so much that Volkov decided to adapt it for Russian-speaking readers, adding new characters, changing names, and altering details. The manuscript of “The Wizard of the Emerald City” received approval from such prominent cultural figures as Samuil Marshak and Anton Makarenko. This inspired Volkov to publish his tale.