Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass: The Little Folks Edition

Youngsters will love this book that will take them on a fantastical adventure through a magical land of surprises

Reviewed by Sophia (age 6) and Madeline (age 8) McElroy for Reader Views (4/09) Madeline: I think "Alice in Wonderland" is weird and funny. My favorite part is when Alice plays croquet with the Queen of Hearts using hedgehogs for balls and flamingoes for sticks. Another strange tale from the story was of a baby. A woman was rocking her baby and asked Alice to feed him a bottle. Alice picked up the baby and found that it was a baby pig! She thought the pig was yucky and dropped him on the floor. I think other children my age would find this book amusing but they may find it confusing as well. I think I would read this book again. Sophia: This is a funny and odd story about a little girl named Alice. My favorite parts of the story were the songs and poems. They are fun to sing and make me laugh, especially the one the Mock Turtle sings about "beautiful soup." I liked when Alice was so tiny, she was as small as an ant. In the story she grows to the size of a giant and then she would shrink down without warning. Parent: Never having read the book "Alice in Wonderland" as a child I was delighted to get the chance to read it with my two daughters. What an amazing tale fueled by the imagination of a girl named Alice. The first half of the book I couldn't wait to get to the next chapter; the girls and I would giggle at the wonderful adventures Alice was living. However, about the time the King and Queen of Hearts (a literal deck of cards) came on the scene, I was beginning to lose my appetite for the story. It takes many strange twists and turns, complete with the Queen of Hearts dialogue of sometimes multiple pages of gibberish! This was not only confusing to the children but me as well! I think the story goes downhill from here and it felt more laborious to read at that point. This book is supposed to be directed toward 8-years-olds and up, but my girls are reading at 2nd and 4th grade levels and I think it would have been challenging to understand the many nuances if they had read it on their own.

Obviously the stories of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are two of the most beloved children's tales of all time...and with good reason. They're witty, charming, and imaginative. Now, Barnes and Noble has wrapped up these timeless tales and tacked on a timeline of literary happenings during Lewis Carroll's time, a short biography of Lewis Carroll, a comprehensive introduction that examines the many quirks of Carroll's life and literature, helpful, but non-intrusive footnotes, endnotes, comments, and discussion questions. The perfect addition to your classic library.

I'm always amazed when I finish reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland how I feel like I just read the transcript of a dream. Everything is nonsensical, yet it makes sense; it is all completely fantastical, yet it is told so matter-of-fact that you simply must believe that Alice's adventures were nothing less than fact; the characters are so unbelievable, yet they always seem like old friends. The word structure and usage even reads, and in some cases looks, like a dream. You may not always understand why something happens the way it does to poor Alice, but like the unlikely heroine herself, you simply accept it and move on to the next adventure.

I collect Alice in Wonderland. I have dozens of editions including a great variety of illustrators and adaptions for children of different ages. I would say that this adaption is suitable for children 8-10 years of age. The highlight of this edition, however, are the bright, cheerful illustrations appearing on every page. Truly delightful and well worth the price.

Find some children anywhere you can and read this book to them! I say this for your pleasure at least as much as theirs. Reading it out loud will be one of the delightful experiences of your life. Did I say "reading?" I should have said "performing," because you will not be able to resist acting it out. Let yourself go--you will be a child again, yet still appreciate the book's adult insights.There is so much to say about this classic. It captures the psychology of a girl on the verge of growing up; it is full of jokes that appear absurd, but are fiendishly clever; it somehow avoids anything old-fashioned or politically incorrect; and absolutely all the characters are loveable, no matter how hard they try not to be.Carroll was an unhappy, aging man, yet he understood children to a spooky degree. While I smiled mildly at some of the humor, my children rolled around on the floor laughing.Here is an interesting phenomenon: When I read it as a child, I didn't particularly warm to it. When my children tried to read it on their own, they gave up. But the group experience of reading it out loud was a joy for all.Do I need to describe the plot? Could I if I tried? Alice may or may not be dreaming when she follows a rabbit down into his hole and enters a world where the simplest actions are strange and complicated. In her effort to explore this world and ultimately return home, nothing fits right, nothing seems to follow through properly, and no one she meets is sane. Alice, though a little girl, is given plenty of opportunities to be the rational, mature, assertive person of action.Everyone I discuss this book with, and I mean everyone, shudders and raises the issue of Carroll's alleged improprieties. They are invisible in the book, but to put your mind at ease, you may want to check out the judicious biography by Morton N. Cohen.The particular edition of Alice in Wonderland that I am reviewing, published by Grosset, is especially pleasant for reading out loud, with comfortable print, and Tenniel's essential illustrations.