Mrs. White Rabbit

by Gilles Bachelet

A hilarious twist on a classic tale

Alice in Wonderland is one of the great classics of children's literature, but what does anyone actually know about Wonderland? Through the diary of the White Rabbit's extremely busy wife, readers finally get to see what happens in the background during Alice's adventures.

Mrs. White Rabbit loves her husband and their many children, but with an invisible housecat from Cheshire and a young female visitor who frequently changes size, living in Wonderland comes with a number of challenges.

With an abundance of wit and charm, Mrs. White Rabbit gives Lewis Carroll's famous tale a refreshingly modern twist.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Humor, Rabbits, Family, Art

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Gilles Bachelet pasó su infancia en los Pirineos. Luego de dos años catastróficos en Paris, en los que frecuentó más el mercado de la rue Mouffetard que el Lycée Henri, sus padres lo mandaron a una pensión. Pasó los siguiente siete años con los sacerdotes y laicos del oratorio, en Saint Lô. En 1971 regresó a Paris y se incribió en la Facultad de Artes Decorativas. Allí pasó cinco años. A partir de 1977, comenzó a trabajar en la prensa impresa. Dejó la universidad cuando el trabajo empezó a aumentar. A partir de ese día, Gilles ejerce la profesión de ilustrador

Reviews

[Miss Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wonder who the audience is for this.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOTE:Received as an ARC from Netgalley.

An absolutely adorable picture book for fans of Alice in Wonderland and her author, rabbits, the Victorian/Edwardian eras, and general delight and whimsey.

It’s the diary of Mrs. White Rabbit, who takes care of a large family, a cat that keeps appearing and disappearing, a girl who refuses to stay just one size, and a husband who is always late. No one seems to appreciate all Mrs. Rabbit does to keep the household running smoothly.

Be sure to look at the very detailed pictures, where you will discover hidden treats like a Titanic model “sunk” in a chamber pot, the Tweedledee/dum-ish bunny twins, a rabbit daughter with the appropriate name of Beatrix, and more. The schoolroom scene, spread over two pages, is particularly fun, with so many Alice elements, I can see that I’ll have to buy my own copy of this book to find them all.

[Taylor Kundel-Gower · Rating 3 out of 5]

LOVE these pictures, but holy patriarchy, Batman! Fun to look at, but a little uncomfortable.

[Shu Xiao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hasty ending. But still, cutest book I've read this year! Brilliant illustration!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't pick up this book expecting to see Alice in Wonderland. All you will see of her is her foot. She is not important to the story.

This is the outtake from the diary of the wife of White Rabbit, from the Alice in Wonderland stories.

But, if could have been any wife, writing about how her husband does not pay attention to her, and the kids are driving her crazy. Other than the Cheshire Cat, this could take place anywhere, any time.

I would rate this a two, because of that, but the pictures are detailed, and fun to explore, so it gained one extra star for that alone.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, although I'm not sure how many kids would get either the references or the play between the text and illustrations. Lots of details to look at, though.

[Tracie Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book: Mrs. White Rabbit
Author: Giles Bachelet
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Genre: Fantasy/ Folk Tale Tetelling
Publication Date: February 7, 2017
Rating:



*Thank you NetGalley and Random House for a copy of this book in exchange for a review!*
The Low Down:
In this twist on the classic Alice in Wonderland, we see, through the diary of the wife of the White Rabbit, the hilarious challenges of living in Wonderland. Especially when you share house with a large brood of crazy kids, a girl who can’t stay one size and a cat that likes to go invisible!
My thoughts:
Here are some of the wonderful, colorfully detailed illustrations from the story!





I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I found it very funny and a good expansion of the beloved Wonderland universe. I do wonder what the audience for this is though. It is a rather simple picture book, yet the content seems a little mature for young children. I personally found the jokes and puns hilarious. However, I worry that they may go over the heads of younger children. I’m not sure that younger children would understand many of the puns, mainly because they address teen and adult situations. I feel like parents would have to explain to children, though I am sure all ages would enjoy the illustrations. I also liked the ending. It was quite unexpected, something you don’t see everyday.

[Jennifer Strong · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mrs. White Rabbit, the woman behind the famous White Rabbit of Alice in Wonderland, takes a brief moment to recount her grievances and confide her problems to her diary.
•
Let me first start off with something positive. I loved the illustrations! I loved that details and characters from Alice in Wonderland were included.
•
Unfortunately, there were things I found not so awesome and actually rather inappropriate. My biggest complaint is the overwhelming sense of patriarchy. This book feels like it came straight out of the early 1800's. Mrs. White Rabbit's first name is never mentioned, she does all the chores around the house including watching their large family. She doesn't feel she can pursue her dream of being a writer. She even has to go get her drunk husband from a big party at work. Not to mention she waits on him hand and foot. But of course he can't be bothered to help out or even notice what's going on around him. He even forgets her birthday until he happens to read her diary. Then he jumps into action and puts on a pathetic attempt to show appreciation and love. (I'm guessing his lame attempt is supposed to be endearing, but it just made me, as the reader, angry).
•
I'm actually surprised and appalled that this book was first published in 2012. This book is definitely not for children.

[Stace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs. White Rabbit is the wife of the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. Here we get an exclusive look into her diary.

Do you want to know why the White Rabbit was running late the morning that Alice followed him down the Rabbit Hole? Or meet his children, Beatrix, the eldest, who wants to be a supermodel, Gilbert and George the twins, then we have Betty, who is nervous about going to school, Eliot, who doesn’t want to take off his bunny costume, and lastly Emily, the baby who won’t stop crying.

Not only does Mrs. White Rabbit have five children to care for, and a home to run, she also has to deal with their sneaky adopted cat who always has a huge grin, and a young girl who can’t make her mind up whether she is little or big.

No wonder Mrs. White Rabbit is always exhausted.

Mrs. White Rabbit is an exquisitely illustrated book, with its large bold drawings throughout. The story is interesting and humorous, though I do feel that a lot of the puns were aimed at adults, and that children wouldn’t understand them.

It is a lovely book that fans of Alice in Wonderland will enjoy, especially with some of the main characters from the original story making an appearance.

Reviewed by Stacey at www.whisperingstories.com

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This visual treat is packed with "Easter eggs" for Lewis Carroll fans. The overworked Mrs. White Rabbit confides her frustrations, overwork and yearnings in her diary. The scenes around her are richly elaborate and full of humor and Carroll characters. Each page deserves spending a lot of time with in order to enjoy all the details. The pages depicting 100 Ways to Cook Carrots needs a magnifying glass and several hours to fully appreciate!

I adored this but I think it may not be for every child. However, give this to every English major or frustrated mom/writer you know!

[Jennifer Lucking · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book to my child’s friend and ended up skimming over so much - references to a bunny fearful of gaining too much weight, all the complaining of being a wife and mother bunny, etc. It was awful.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations alone are worth the read.

[Mary Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book to help students understand literary allusions, in this case, to Alice in Wonderland. Fabulously detailed illustrations that beg to be pored over.

[Juan Fuentes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Álbum ilustrado supuestamente para niños pero quien lo disfrutará de verdad serán los adultos amantas de Lewis Carroll. Con infinidad de detalles escondidos.

[Abril G. Karera · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Gilles Bachelet es uno de mis ilustradores y autores favoritos. En este libro retrata la invisibilización de la mujer en el trabajo doméstico y lo difícil y cansada que puede ser la maternidad (sobre todo si tu pareja se la vive enfrascada en el trabajo). Con guiños a la obra de Carroll, recrea un mundo fantástico repleto de detalles que hacen disfrutar muchísimo su ilustración. Muy recomendable. Sólo no me terminó de encantar el final, pero tampoco es malo.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

So gorgeous, so funny, so full of visual jokes, multi-layered jokes, warmth, and above all, splendid detail. This is a buy, not a borrow.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Mrs. White Rabbit' by Giles Bachelet is a wonderful kids book about the wife of the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. While he is out running around, what does she do all day?

For one thing, she keeps a diary. She talks about her children. One wants to be a fashion model, the twins seem well behaved, one of the younger ones has brought home a cat that can become invisible, and so on. There really is a lot to do to keep such a large household running, and Mrs. Rabbit feels underappreciated by a husband that is always running away because he is late. Will he even remember her birthday?

The story is cute, but the real winner here are the illustrations. For fans of Alice in Wonderland, there are all kinds of details, like a window for a sporting goods store featuring flamingos and hedgehogs. The classroom illustration is my favorite. There are some weird moments in the illustrations like the twins playing with chamber pots and holding what looks like rabbit scat, but little readers probably don't know what these things are, so call it odd humor.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Wm. B. Eerdman's Publishing Company and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bachelet, Gilles Mrs. White Rabbit. PICTURE BOOK. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.), 2017. $17. Content: PG.

This book is the diary entry of Mrs. White Rabbit. She writes about the challenges of being married to Mr. White Rabbit. Yes, the Mr. White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland who is always running late. Things don’t seem to be going so well on the home front based on Mrs. White Rabbit’s writing.

As a fan of Alice in Wonderland, I found this to be a fun book. The detailed illustrations are colorful and humorous and the guest appearances from the Cheshire Cat and Alice add to the enjoyment of this book. However, I am unsure who the intended audience of this book is. With references to an older daughter with a possible eating disorder and rantings from a disgruntled housewife, this is not a book intended for young children. Plus, much of the humor would be lost on them. I don’t think older kids would pick a picture book up like this to read nor do I recommend money be spent to have this book in a school library.

EL (K-3) – NO. Reviewer: Nancy W.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...

[Catherine Siemann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I confess that to my mind, the White Rabbit of Wonderland fame is clearly a bachelor. When Alice visits his home, there is only evidence of a maid-of-all-work and a couple of workmen. Gilles Bachelet's children's book about Mrs. Rabbit contains absolutely priceless illustrations -- scenes filled with Wonderland characters in unexpected contexts, like classrooms, shopping streets, and etc. But Mrs. Rabbit's complaints about her unending domestic tasks and her husband's neglect feel dismal and stereotypical. Her statement that she would like to be a writer, but how could the ordinariness of her life produce anything marvelous or extraordinary seems to be suggesting that the reader should find the wonder in his or her everyday life. But though I enjoyed this book as a collector of various Alice editions and related works, for the lovely artwork, I'm not sure I would give it to an actual child, due to the limited role it provides for the female.

[Emjy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cet album est une petite merveille ! Je l'ai lu aujourd'hui et je me suis absolument régalée. Le texte est d'une drôlerie exquise et les dessins extrêmement riches et attrayants. Il faut les examiner sous toutes les coutures pour y déceler chacune des trouvailles visuelles et références à Lewis Caroll (l'auteur bien sûr mais aussi le photographe !) et à la culture anglaise (Beatrix Potter, les artistes Gilbert et George et bien d'autres). C'est un hommage insolite et brillant à l'univers de l'auteur d' Alice aux Pays des Merveilles. On y retrouve du non sens (le petit Eliott qui se déguise en lapin à Halloween alors qu'il est déjà un lapin ! ), de l'absurde, de l'étrange et une profusion de clins d'oeil et de détails qui ne peuvent que ravir le lecteur.

En outre, en plus d'être facétieux et enchanteur, cet album a un petit côté féministe qui m'a beaucoup plû.

[Brandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mrs. White Rabbit, the wife of the infamous White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland has her own picture book where she's writing a diary entry complaining about her life.

I'm not sure this would interest my elementary students, nor would they get the humor or sarcasm. However, I LOVE the references to Alice in Wonderland, specifically the character cameos in the classroom scene and the Cheshire Cat. As far as audience, I feel like the best customer would be an Alice in Wonderland enthusiast who can understand the humor that a child might not get. The irregular 12 inches by 18 inches makes for a good coffee table piece.

Thank you, Eerdmans Books for this copy!

[Elizabeth S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult to rate. Some parts were hilarious, such as the 100 ways to cook/prepare carrots. Some parts were cute when you make connections with Alice.

And then there are some parts that didn't quite sit right. I'm not sure how to explain it. Serious things that, when added to a silly book like this, are treated too lightly. For example, the oldest daughter is dying to be a super model so she won't eat and constantly watches her weight on the scale. This is anorexia and not something to be taken lightly. It is not on par with the other children experiencing things like being nervous on the first day of school or brothers constantly arguing.

[Ruth Govaerts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heel mooi prentenboek over het leven van de vrouw van het witte konijn uit 'Alice In Wonderland'. Mevrouw wit konijn is het perfecte voorbeeld van de altijd-werkende huisvrouw. Ze droomt over een wereld waar haar man ook eens iets doet.Vooral de details van de tekeningen in het boek vond ik fantastisch. Het zijn die kleinigheden die het boek voor jong en oud 'groots' maken. Meneer wit konijn leest kranten als The Guardian, met artikels als 'we demand rights for women', which I like (of course). :)

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoiler Alert!!
There are those who think Alice in Wonderland is a pretty whacky story, and this book deserves a spot right beside Alice, that 'girl, from who knows where...seemed quite well-mannered, except for her unpleasant tendency to change size at the drop of a hat."
That line, and the picture with Alice's foot inside the Rabbit's house, made me realize what was going on, and I quickly went back to find earlier references to Alice - which are there right on the cover!
Clever, entertaining, refreshing!

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, let me say you HAVE to take time to enjoy the illustrations, or you're missing at least half the book! The story is funny and engaging, and would be a great read for people of all ages, whether or not they are already familiar with the Alice in Wonderland story. I love the new perspective on the story however - the perpetually late white rabbit's wife as narrator, with glimpses into their home life.

Advance review copy

[Casandria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who wants to read a kids' book about a whiny housewife? Way too advanced for kids, and not funny in the least. I gave it 2 stars only because the illustrations were pretty great. I think I've had it with Alice in Wonderland lately...

[Amy Mc · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a horrid little book! The story had no meaning, and it was full of men bashing, stereotypes and negativity. The book was also filled with words most children wouldn't understand.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well now I'm depressed.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

nope. it's too bad because the illustrations are interesting (the lovely 100 ways to cook carrots) that this book is awful. patriarchal. super disappointed.

[Barbi Couto · Rating 4 out of 5]

La mirada de la Esposa del Conejo Blanco atraviesa amenazante el living de la casa, donde plumerea un estante con su bebé a cuestas, hasta los ojos del mismísimo lector, no vaya a ser cosa que no sepamos desde la tapa misma que ella está a disgusto con su vida.
Apenas abierto el libro y atravesadas las guardas en pleno amarillo sin dibujos ni distracciones, la portada nos presenta una plancha quemando el chaleco del famoso Conejo Blanco. Por si la tapa no había sido indicio suficiente, algo claramente comienza mal. Otra vuelta de página y nos encontramos con una fotografía familiar, posada, prolija, madre y seis niños primorosamente vestidos para el momento y el Conejo Blanco, que viene a ser el padre y esposo, con ceño fruncido mirando la hora ya sabemos en qué reloj, ansioso por retirarse de la escena familiar. Es en la próxima vuelta de página en la que todo empieza.

El libro, de formato grande y tapas duras, completamente ilustrado, es un diario íntimo de la Esposa del Conejo Blanco, sí, el famoso personaje de reparto en la famosísima historia de Alicia en su viaje al País de las Maravillas. Pero esta no es la historia del Conejo sino de su esposa, de quien no sabremos ni siquiera el nombre en ningún momento del libro. En las páginas de su diario ella enumera sus cuitas y hace su catarsis. 30 años y la vida que lleva está muy lejos de aquella que había soñado, quizás escribiendo historias maravillosas llenas de personajes extraordinarios. Es en la ilustración donde en las escenas con exteriores asoma ese mundo de las maravillas, donde incluso es posible reconocer una multitud de personajes del cuento clásico, las cartas, el gato risón, la oruga, la misma Alicia... Pero sobre todo donde uno como lector asoma la vista a la vida cotidiana de esta coneja y toma conciencia de la envergadura de sus preocupaciones, por sus hijos, el cuidado de la casa, la soledad de su rutina, como si ni siquiera alcanzará con el texto de un diario íntimo para que una mujer, madre, ama de casa, pudiera reflejar honestamente su desazón.
Alta, de porte imponente, gesto adusto y siempre de vestido verde oscuro, alterna dos actitudes: o lleva delantal y está desbordada por alguna tarea doméstica; o lleva sombrero y abrigo con volados cuando sale de la casa para algún trámite o gestión. Solo aparece relajada y luce una sonrisa en la página en la que imagina el placer inconmensurable que sentiría si su esposo participara de su cotidianeidad.
Avanza el libro y uno como lector, me corrijo, una como lectora, o al menos yo, dudo cuál actitud gana en mi lectura, si la necesidad abrumadora de sacudirla y hacerla reaccionar o la empatía sorora de darle un abrazo y sentarnos a charlar para encontrar juntas solución a sus problemas que son los de tantas.

Ya sobre el final, la nota del autor explicita justamente eso mismo, que el autor del libro, de los textos y de las ilustraciones, es un autor y no una autora. El Conejo Blanco lee el diario de su esposa y trata de remediar todo -o algo- con un gesto amoroso y una mirada compungida.
Gilles Bachelet le dedica una atención minuciosa a cada página cual escena de una composición barroca, cargada de cientos de detalles deliciosos. Construye una identidad para cada hijo e hija coneja y para la sufrida Esposa. El resultado es un libro polémico, que genera sensaciones, empatías, broncas, sentimientos de injusticia y con el marco de un maravilloso mundo de cuentos que todos conocemos tan bien, quizás es su forma de decir que no todo es jamás lo que parece, y que hasta el más maravilloso de los mundos tiene sus secretos y personajes sufrientes puertas adentro. Me quedo con la duda eterna de cómo hubiera sido el final del libro si la autora hubiera sido una mujer.