Mustafa of Mudge has heard of the famous Cowardly Lion of Oz, and decides to capture him and put him into a zoo! He enlists the help of Bob Up and a clown called Notta Bit More - the master of disguise! The Cowardly Lion meanwhile travels though Oz and meets a stone man, who offers to turn the Cowardly Lion into stone: after all, a stone lion doesn't feel fear! Is this the solution to the Cowardly Lion's quest for courage? Or is it a trap, and does the stone man want to trick him for reasons of his own? The Cowardly Lion of Oz was published in 1923, and is the seventeenth in the Oz series created by L. Frank Baum. It is the third by Ruth Plumly Thompson, and comes directly after "Kabumpo in Oz". The main themes are disguises, honesty, and being true to who you are. (Summary by Beth Thomas)