Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Helen Oxenbury (Illustrator) "Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she..." (more)
Key Phrases: little golden key, offended tone, Mock Turtle, March Hare, White Rabbit (more...)

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 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (October 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763608041
• ISBN-13: 978-0763608040
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,002,638 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I have read (no exagerration), July 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Alice in Wonderland (Apple Classics) (Paperback)

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best edition of Alice, March 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Books of Wonder) (Hardcover)

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's so logical, it doesn't make sense!, July 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Tor Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

Most people think about "Alice in Wonderland" as being some little kid book about nonsense. Actually, Lewis Carroll was a very smart man. He invented Wonderland to show people truths in their own world most people wouldn't even bother thinking about. In fact, I think the whole point of the book is that even though Wonderland seems so unreal and full of nonsence, it's really just the same as our own world! I admit, I was curious about what a book so popular written for children would be like. It was great! I'd recomend it to anyone!