‘There’s No Place Like Home’: L. Frank Baum’s Short Story, ‘The Man in the Moon’

L. Frank Baum's story "The Man in the Moon" reminds us to appreciate our home. "Two Men Contemplating the Moon," 1830, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain

Each year, hundreds of people travel to different countries, flocking to their “bucket list” locations to meet new people and try new things. But the most important journeys begin and end with home.

In his short story “The Man in the Moon,” L. Frank Baum shows how the man’s journey from the moon to Earth proves educational. The man learns that wanderlust must not suppress our appreciation for home.