Alice's Adventures in Wonderland [Hardcover]

Lewis Carroll (Author), Helen Oxenbury (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0763608041 | ISBN-13: 978-0763608040 | Publication Date: October 6, 1999 | Edition: First thus

Lewis Carroll's timeless classic brought to life by one of the most revered children's book illustrators of our time!

Suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.

There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!"

Lewis Carroll's masterpiece, an exuberant mix of fun and fantasy, logic and lunacy, silliness and droll splendor, revolutionized children's literature. Its influence has been immeasurable, and the story's cast of characters, including Alice herself, the Mad Hatter, and the Cheshire Cat, hold a beloved place in our culture.

Now Helen Oxenbury, one of the world's most acclaimed illustrators—whose many books for children include the award-winning FARMER DUCK, by Martin Waddell, as well as her Tom and Pippo books—has brought her own special brand of magic to Lewis Carroll's classic.

And ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND is Helen Oxenbury at her very best. Her vision of Alice is unique and modern. Her Wonderland is fresh, whimsical, and lovingly created. With more illustrations than any other edition, this beautiful volume has all the warmth, depth of emotion, humor, and acute observations of people and animals for which Helen Oxenbury's work is so highly regarded. Join us in celebrating a major artistic achievement! And welcome back—to a Wonderland that is as astonishingly new as it is joyously familiar.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has continuously delighted readers, young and old, for more than a century. This classic tale, interpreted by many outstanding artists over the years, is a remarkable story of one little girl who embarks on possibly one of the most amazing adventures in literary history. In this stunning special edition, Helen Oxenbury 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 humor that perfectly complement the shenanigans of the topsy-turvy world of Wonderland. (Ages 7 and older) --Susan Harrison, Amazon.co.uk

From Publishers Weekly

If Zwerger's Alice (reviewed above) is deliciously cryptic, Oxenbury's (Tom and Pippo books) brims with the fun and frights of a visit to an amusement park. In perhaps her most ambitious work to date, Oxenbury applies her finely honed instinct for a child's perspective to create an Alice accessible to all ages. With the opening scene of a tomboyish heroine slumped against her sister who is reading under a tree, the artist seems to answer Alice's first line: "What is the use of a book... without pictures or conversations?" Nearly every spread contains either a spot-line drawing or full-bleed full-color painting. The artist nods to Tenniel with her hilarious portrait of the waistcoated White Rabbit and even extends the metaphor of the "grin without a cat" with a quartet of watercolors as the Cheshire Cat begins to disappearAuntil only his grin remains. The villains here are more stoogelike than menacing, including the baby-throwing Duchess and the Queen of Hearts, and Oxenbury makes the most of such comic opportunities as the entangled powdered wigs of the Frog-Footman and Fish-Footman. A series of cleverly choreographed closing scenes shows Alice in the Queen's courtroom, pelted by the playing cards that, on the next spread, seem to have transformed into the falling leaves of the tree where Alice awakens and her sister gives her a kiss; a poignant parting shot of Alice's sister silhouetted at dusk under the tree, with sheep grazing in the field, acknowledges the shift in tone of Carroll's conclusion. An ideal first introduction to a lifelong favorite read. Ages 8-up. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; First thus edition (October 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763608041
• ISBN-13: 978-0763608040
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (251 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,366,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

189 of 214 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Kindle edition free...and not worth it, September 19, 2010

By 

James Walley (Maple Valley, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Kindle Edition)

"What is the use of a book without pictures or conversations?" Someone might have thought to ask that of the compilers of this Kindle edition, which lacks any of the famed Tenniel illustrations, even though they're all in the public domain and have been made available in many on-line versions. Worse, the compilers also omit Carroll's opening poem, "All in the golden afternoon," even though it's an integral part of the book. One gets the feeling that the goal was to not make the free version truly complete, so that one would have to wind up purchasing one of the non-free editions for one's Kindle -- which is probably a better solution from the outset.

118 of 133 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Children's Literature, June 6, 2010

By 

B. Breen "Canuckster1127" (Sterling, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Kindle Edition)

So, what's a 47 year old doing reviewing a classic children's book? Well, it occurred to me as I was looking through the available books on my Kindle, that many of the free ones (yes I'm quite open to free as an option) that there were many books that I assumed I knew because I had seen movies, seen summarized in some other form or simply because they were cultural icons and "everybody" knows these books.

Many I have indeed read and did read as I was younger. However, now with a Kindle and a commute, it seemed a perfect opportunity to address some of those elements lacking in my basic reading. It was in this spirit that I down loaded Alice's adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and read through it is a remarkably short period of time. Many of these free books on the Kindle, are in the public domain and have been available in text or PDF files for quite some time. A simple conversion in format is all that is required to make it available. The question I asked as I read the book, is does the experience of reading it in this format take away anything from the experience. Children's Literature in particular is often about more than just the words on a page. Of course there are often illustrations, the physical book itself takes on dimensions that are bigger than usual. This adds to the experience of a child reading the book by themselves but in particular it adds to the experience of a child being read to who can then sit in a lap or look as the book as presented and share in the experience by learning to read or reinforcing reading skills.

So, for a aging kid who needs something to read to round out his cultural iconic missing links this worked just fine. However, for those seeking to have an experience with their kids in reading a classic piece of literature, I'd not recommend it in that venue.

As to the story itself, there's little I can say. In some ways, it's like reading a familiar story but in others it's amazing how much can be lost or glossed over in the pop-cultural offerings that sprang from it. Reading this piece of classic literature gives you some insight not only into the time it came from, but also into the heart of childhood that is timeless and can be recaptured at least in part, if we'll pause and exercise our imagination.

4 stars. Absolutely 5 stars as far as the story goes. Because this specifically addresses the Kindle edition, a drop of a star so that any considering reading this to their children from a kindle, consider what might be lost by not obtaining a more traditional copy complete with illustrations and the opportunity to share at a level one notch above what the Kindle offers in this context.

Perhaps something like this Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Take some time and look for what will work best for you and your intended audience.

bart breen

60 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars down the rabbit hole, May 26, 2009

By 

Sassycat (Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Kindle Edition)

I forgot how wonderful a tale this is. It is written so well that the images almost jump off the page. Even as an adult I couldn't help but to fall under Carroll's spell.