Customer Reviews

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Oxford Bookworms ELT)

5 star:		(148)
4 star:		(49)
3 star:		(29)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

"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.

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

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.

The book received only included "Alice in Wonderland". "Through the Looking Glass" is not included in the book, even though the picture depicts that both are included. I found the book that included both stories elsewhere and purchased it. I donated the book I received from Amazon to my daughter's school library instead of dealing with the hassle of returning it.

I have this book. It is beautifully illustrated. I do not understand the comment of a previous reviewer who complained about the number of illustrations. Nearly every page is beautifully illustrated. Every chapter is introduced with a two-page illustration. There are numerous two-page and full single-page illustrations throughout the book. I'm an adult who fell in love with this story when I saw Disney's Alice in Wonderland. This is a worthy addition to my collection of things Carroll. I recommend "The Wasp in a Wig" if you can find it. The end of this Alice... has a nice and concise description of Carroll's writing of the book, photographs of the cover and first page of Carroll's handwritten first version, and a wonderful tribute to John Tenniel, the illustrator of the first published edition who provided the classic drawings nearly all of us recognize. Buy this book for your kids but teach them to handle it carefully; buy this book for yourself even if you only have cats to read it to.

Young Alice has never been a patient child. Therefore, as she is sitting along the riverbank, listening to her sister drone on and on as she reads passages from a slightly boring book, Alice begins to find her mind wandering. After all, this particular book has no pictures to capture the eye. Alice begins thinking about doing something else, making a daisy chain, or climbing a tree, but she's too lazy to leave her comfortable spot. So, as she gazes about her, she finds herself drifting off to sleep, and soon she has spotted a White Rabbit dressed in fancy garb. She begins chasing the elusive rabbit, but quickly finds herself falling down a very deep rabbit hole that she had not seen previously. Alice is frightened as she tumbles down and down, but soon finds herself in a new world. A world not filled with dirt and daisies, but, rather filled with long hallways, and houses that are smaller than Alice herself. Soon, Alice begins encountering characters of all shapes and sizes. To the confusing Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, to the riddle-loving, smiling kitty known as the Cheshire Cat; all the way to the delightfully zany Mad Hatter who loves throwing tea-parties, and the vicious Queen of Hearts. But, as Alice continues wandering through this wondrous world of magic, where animals talk and dance, and even dress in fancy clothes, she begins to wonder how on earth she will ever find a way out of this backwards environment, and back to her sister, sitting upon the riverbank. For even though lazing about on the riverbank can be incredibly boring, sometimes it is preferred when your life is in danger by an evil ruler.

I do not have to tell you how much I adore the tale of ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Since I was a young child I have been enamored by Alice's adventures to Wonderland, where she met an array of lovable characters who made you question the sanity of this backwards place, and the people who reside there. From the film to the pop-up books, and everything in between - Alice has been something I have cherished. Therefore, when I stumbled upon Alison Jay's newest edition of ALICE IN WONDERLAND, I could not pass up the opportunity to call it my own. The perfect thing about this edition is that the font is quite large, which makes it easier for younger readers to enjoy the tales of Alice on their own. The second thing I adore about this edition, of course, are the illustrations. Alison Jay is a magnificent artist who has laced almost every page with full-color illustrations of Alice and the various people and things she encounters during her trip to Wonderland. From the intelligent Caterpillar, to the delicious pink-frosting covered cupcakes she shares with the Mad Hatter at his tea party; and the delightful, yet strange game of flamingo and hedgehog croquet played with the Queen of Hearts, to Alice's trial with the Gryphon and the Mock Turtle. Each and every illustration is enjoyable to look at, and truly brings Lewis Carroll's words to life. A colorful new ALICE IN WONDERLAND edition, that puts a new spin on the timeless tale.

Erika Sorocco

The book is delightful, but I'm not talking about the story of Lewis Carrol itself. I'm talking, literally about the book -- its size, texture of pages, color of endpapers, texture of dustcover, that it has a built-in silky bookmark and so on. (This is one book in which it is the right thing to do to judge a book by its cover.) I'm also referring to the extra material, though. First are the illustrations which are really cool. Then there is plenty of commentary on the illustrations. There is also commentary on the Author, Illustrator, Foreward writer and even commentary on the typography of the book. Finally, the Foreward is amazing. I don't know if I agree with all that the Foreward writer says, but that Foreward sure helps to build your vocabulary. I've had six philosophy courses and I still had to look up dozens of words in the Foreward. Really advanced, arcane or even never-heard-of words -- why?, beats me. You would need a Ph.D. in literature to know all the words without a dictionary. So whether you're an adult wanting to increase your vocabulary or you want to buy a nice little book that is a delight itself in its physical being as a book, this is the Alice to buy.

While this is generally considered a "children's book", Alice In Wonderland can only be fully appreciated by adults or teenagers. It contains so many private jokes, grammar puns, and other such stuff that a child would not understand it, really. I first read it when I was in first grade, a rather hard book really for first graders, and loved it incredibly. But rereading every year of my life since then (I am now fifteen) one finally can truly relish the great puns and imaginative ideas that Carroll (or Dodgson, his real name) placed within this extremely random book. Yes, there really isn't much of a single plot. It jumps from place to place. Just like a real dream. I don't understand why some people think that this is "scary" for little children though. C'mon, the Wizard of Oz and Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes (when the bough breaks, the cradle will fall- if little children aren't afraid of THAT, I don't what would scare them) is more frightening than this beautifully-crafted story. Note that the Queen of Hearts, though she has an insatiable urge to decapitate every person she sees, never really kills anyone- the Griffin says so. It's not frightening, rather, it's full of what little children like- randomness, smiling cats, violent-tempered queens, talking rabbits, and imaginary animals. If one is discovering this book for the first time, let it enchant you. If you are re-discovering this book, find in it the things you couldn't find before. If you are simply re-reading it for the fiftieth time (like me), then enjoy every single moment of it. It really is one of the best books I have read, right up there with- dare I say it- Colour Purple and Les Miserables. Yes, even Les Miserables.

The treasure of this edition lies principally in its beautiful layout and thoroughly original illustrations. Strict traditionalists may find Garcia's gothlike depictions of their favourite Wonderland characters a bit off-putting, while fans of Alice looking for something distinctly different won't be disappointed. The text is Carroll's original classic, nicely set, with a whimsical unjustified right edge and pleasing gradient toned pages. This volume does not include Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass, which is a pity -- it would have been interesting to see Garcia's depiction of the Jabberwocky. Garcia's art notwithstanding, I would more highly recommend:

The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition

I also highly recommend:

Alice in Verse: The Lost Rhymes of Wonderland

This is my preferred copy of AAIW, and I have several. The quality of the illustrations is superior, because they were made from recently excavated printing blocks. The result is they reveal greater detail than I had seen before, leaving me more impressed than ever with John Tenniel's talent--as if Lewis Carroll's wasn't enough. A beautiful, beautiful book.