Alice in Wonderland (Evergreen Classics) - Softcover

Carroll

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486416585 ISBN 13: 9780486416588

Publisher: Dover Children's, 2003

Synopsis

Alice falls down a rabbit hole, changes size unexpectedly, and attends a tea party given by a March Hare. Along the way, she meets such unforgettable characters as the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Mock Turtle, the autocratic Red Queen, and other fanciful folk. 42 original illustrations by John Tenniel.

About this title

Review:

Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has continuously delighted readers, young and old, for more than a century. A classic tale that has been interpreted by many an outstanding artist over the years, this remarkable story of one little girl who embarks on possibly one of the most amazing, fantastical adventures in literary history has more than stood the test of time.

Here, in this stunning special edition, Helen Oxenbury, one of the most exceptional contemporary children's illustrators, turns her hand to what is certainly no small project and has succeeded in surpassing expectation. More abundantly illustrated than other editions of the same work, this unabridged version is packed with contemporary and accessible interpretations of the kaleidoscope of characters--the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts--who have each captured the imaginations of generations of children.

Alice herself is portrayed as a thoroughly modern miss--casually dressed, personable, and spirited--and her surroundings are brought to effervescent life with a warmth, depth and distinctive sense of humour that perfectly complements the shenanigans of the topsy-turvy world of Wonderland.

Only 1,000 copies of this limited edition have been published and each one has been numbered and signed by Helen Oxenbury. The perfect life-time gift for any child, this stylish version of Carroll's unforgettable fantasy is ideal for children and adults to treasure forever. (Age 7 and over) --Susan Harrison

Review:

Source of legend and lyric, reference and conjecture, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is, for most children, pure pleasure in prose. While adults try to decipher Lewis Carroll's putative use of complex mathematical codes in the text, or debate his alleged use of opium, young readers simply dive with Alice through the rabbit hole, pursuing "The dream-child moving through a land / Of wonders wild and new". There they encounter the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, the Mock Turtle and the Mad Hatter, together with a multitude of other characters--extinct, fantastical and commonplace creatures. Alice journeys through this Wonderland, trying to fathom the meaning of her strange experiences. But they turn out to be "curiouser and curiouser", seemingly without moral or sense.

For more than 130 years, children have revelled in the delightfully non-moralistic, non-educational virtues of this classic. In fact, at every turn Alice's new companions scoff at her traditional education. The Mock Turtle, for example, remarks that he took the "regular course" in school: Reeling, Writhing and branches of Arithmetic--Ambition, Distraction, Uglification and Derision. Carroll believed John Tenniel's illustrations were as important as his text. Naturally, Carroll's instincts were good; the masterful drawings, reproduced here, are inextricably tied to the well-loved story. (All ages)

About this edition

• Publisher: Dover Children's
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0486416585
• ISBN 13: 9780486416588
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160