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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
There is perhaps no other children's novel better known than Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which has been reinterpreted broadly, from Disney's beloved film to Robert Sabuda's clever pop-up to Frank Beddor's new fantasy novel. Lewis Carroll's whimsical, fantastical tale grabs every reader's imagination, and it is an artist's dream, bursting with visual possibility. Alison Jay has long wanted to bring her own perspective to the story. Now she shows us an exhilarating Wonderland, where Alice, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, and all the rest are playfully quirky and adorably fanciful. With the complete, unabridged text and glowing full-color illustrations on nearly every page, this lavish edition is the perfect introduction to the novel--and an elegant gift for those who are already Lewis Carroll fans.
18 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1865
9 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Helen Oxenbury
344 books103 followersMarried to John Burningham
Born in 1938 and growing up in Ipswich, England, Helen Oxenbury loved nothing more than drawing. As a teenager, she entered art school and basked in the pleasure of drawing, and nothing but drawing, all day. During vacations she helped out at the Ipswich Repertory Theatre workshop, mixing paints for set designers. It was there that she decided her future lay in theater design.
While studying costume design, however, Helen Oxenbury was told by a teacher, "This is hopeless, you know. You ought to go and do illustrations--you're much more interested in the character, and we don't know who's going to play the part!"
But sets and scenery, not books, remained Helen Oxenbury's preoccupation for several more years as she embarked on careers in theater, film, and TV. After marrying John Burningham, another of the world's most eminent children's book illustrators, and giving birth to their first child, at last she turned to illustrating children's books. "When I had babies," Helen Oxenbury says, "I wanted to be home with them and look for something to do there."
Today, Helen Oxenbury is among the most popular and critically acclaimed illustrators of her time. Her numerous books for children include the Greenaway Medal-winning ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and its companion, ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, both by Lewis Carroll; Smarties Book Prize-winning FARMER DUCK by Martin Waddell; SO MUCH by Trish Cooke; as well as her classic board books for babies. More recently, she collaborated with author Phyllis Root on the jubilant, no-nonsense tall tale BIG MOMMA MAKES THE WORLD. "As I read Phyllis's text, I imagined Big Momma as part Buddha, part housewife," she says. "It was intimidating to create a whole world, but very enjoyable."
And what does she love most about her work? Thinking up new ideas? Seeing the finished book? Not at all. For Helen, "The best part is when I think I know what I'm doing and I've completed a few drawings. In fact, when I get about a third of the way through, and I feel I'm on my way, then I'm happy. It's like reading a good book--you don't want it to end."
Helen Oxenbury and her husband make their home in London, where the illustrator works in a nearby studio. She is also an avid tennis player.
Born in 1938 and growing up in Ipswich, England, Helen Oxenbury loved nothing more than drawing. As a teenager, she entered art school and basked in the pleasure of drawing, and nothing but drawing, all day. During vacations she helped out at the Ipswich Repertory Theatre workshop, mixing paints for set designers. It was there that she decided her future lay in theater design.
While studying costume design, however, Helen Oxenbury was told by a teacher, "This is hopeless, you know. You ought to go and do illustrations--you're much more interested in the character, and we don't know who's going to play the part!"
But sets and scenery, not books, remained Helen Oxenbury's preoccupation for several more years as she embarked on careers in theater, film, and TV. After marrying John Burningham, another of the world's most eminent children's book illustrators, and giving birth to their first child, at last she turned to illustrating children's books. "When I had babies," Helen Oxenbury says, "I wanted to be home with them and look for something to do there."
Today, Helen Oxenbury is among the most popular and critically acclaimed illustrators of her time. Her numerous books for children include the Greenaway Medal-winning ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and its companion, ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, both by Lewis Carroll; Smarties Book Prize-winning FARMER DUCK by Martin Waddell; SO MUCH by Trish Cooke; as well as her classic board books for babies. More recently, she collaborated with author Phyllis Root on the jubilant, no-nonsense tall tale BIG MOMMA MAKES THE WORLD. "As I read Phyllis's text, I imagined Big Momma as part Buddha, part housewife," she says. "It was intimidating to create a whole world, but very enjoyable."
And what does she love most about her work? Thinking up new ideas? Seeing the finished book? Not at all. For Helen, "The best part is when I think I know what I'm doing and I've completed a few drawings. In fact, when I get about a third of the way through, and I feel I'm on my way, then I'm happy. It's like reading a good book--you don't want it to end."
Helen Oxenbury and her husband make their home in London, where the illustrator works in a nearby studio. She is also an avid tennis player.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
April 7, 2019
Why do you want another copy of Alice in Wonderland when you already have at least three copies and other abbreviated versions? Well, it was really for the illustrations. I really like Helen Oxenbury's work and here was a great collection of her work for $5 at the local markets....who could resist. OK, I haven't read the story again. Actually, I never liked the story as a kid. Adults always seemed to be foisting it on me and I thought it was all very weird and unbelievable and full of tricky insider jokes for adults. I shared a flat (apartment) once, however, with a guy who was very keen on Alice in Wonderland and was always citing stuff from it ....like..."Words mean precisely what I want them to mean ...neither more nor less"and...."Would you please tell me which way I ought to go from here?"....That depends a good deal on where you want to get to", said the Cat. I don't much care where ..." said Alice. "Then it doesn't matter which way you go", said the Cat. it It was only as an adult that I kind of got interested in the author who was a lecturer in Mathematics and logic at Christ's College Oxford. He was Charles Dodgson who went under the pen name of Lewis Carroll. So the book is full of logical questions, paradoxes, illogical answers and mathematical quirks....... But Charles Dodgson seemed to have a rather unhealthy interest in young girls. I recall seeing a book of his that I think contained photos of young girls. (He became interested in photography and about 60% of his photos were of young girls. Seemed just slightly creepy to me.....but give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he just liked writing stories to entertain. He published Alice in Wonderland in 1865 and it became increasingly popular.
Anyway, that's not why I bought the book. I bought it for the illustrations and they really dazzle. Helen Oxenbury has a wonderful way with perspective and a slightly cartoonish drawing style that is perfectly suited to this particular book. There are some of her pencil sketches and a few watercolours combined with pencil backgrounds. All in all it works very well. I think she has captured the spirit of Alice rather well. In many of the versions I've seen , Alice comes across as a rather bossy and determined little girl but her she is confident but sympathetic. And a rather likeable character from the drawings. Needless to say, she is a modernised Alice and, I think has much more appeal than the older "tougher" Alices.
A great version of the book.
Anyway, that's not why I bought the book. I bought it for the illustrations and they really dazzle. Helen Oxenbury has a wonderful way with perspective and a slightly cartoonish drawing style that is perfectly suited to this particular book. There are some of her pencil sketches and a few watercolours combined with pencil backgrounds. All in all it works very well. I think she has captured the spirit of Alice rather well. In many of the versions I've seen , Alice comes across as a rather bossy and determined little girl but her she is confident but sympathetic. And a rather likeable character from the drawings. Needless to say, she is a modernised Alice and, I think has much more appeal than the older "tougher" Alices.
A great version of the book.
September 25, 2020
Love the illustrations/the story not so much/so strange /I realize it’s a classic but I don’t get it/I think the author was smoking the hookah like the caterpillar
December 28, 2020
I'm gonna be honest. I was reading this and checked it out more for me than for my daughter. A nice introduction to a radical classic that really has been appropriately infantilized to be a board book bedtime story. But apart from the tea party scene my daughter could unfortunately care less. I get it.
Want to read
July 4, 2019Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
January 15, 2024
PRZYGODY ALICJI W KRAINIE DZIWÓW i właściwie nie muszę już nic pisać. To jest arcydzieło literatury dziecięcej, która tylko pozornie jest dziecięca i jest taka tylko na poziomie baśniowym, bo głębia tej książki jest przeogromna i za każdym razem, za którym ją czytam, odnajduję coś nowego. Jednak to konkretne wydanie jest jeszcze bardziej wyjątkowe, ponieważ: po pierwsze - przełożył Jerzy Łoziński i już czuć ten przekład po samym tytule (który mi się ogromnie podoba, jest bardziej intrygujący i nieoczywisty), po drugie - ilustracje Helen Oxenbury! Rewelacja!
Lecz powoli... Najpierw parę słów o samej historii. Chociaż każdy ją zna - a przynajmniej każdemu wydaje się, że zna Alicję, Białego Królika, Królową Kier i Kapelusznika - to prawda jest taka, że w głowach większość ludzi ma Alicję Disneya, a to inna Alicja. Nawet ta od Tima Bartona jest słabsza, a ogrom metafor nie wybrzmiewa w tak piękny sposób jak w pierwowzorze literackim.
Ta opowieść jest magiczna, wielowymiarowa i silnie filozoficzna. Prostota, z którą Alicja podchodzi do rzeczy "dziwnych" jest oczyszczająca i wzruszająca. Dzięki tej książce podróżuję w głąb Kariny Dziwów, którą noszę w sobie. To fascynujący portret ludzkiej psychiki i świata marzeń, który tylko pozornie wydaje się daleki, ale przecież czasem wystarczy zamknąć oczy...
Jerzy Łoziński ogromnie się nadał do tego przekładu. Mam wrażenie, że on się urodził dla tej opowieści. Jego drobiazgowość, wyczulenie na każde słowo, ma w przypadku tej książki nieocenioną wartość. Ta książka, to właśnie SŁOWO do SŁOWA. I wierszem i prozą czytelnik wnika w świat prawdziwych czarów.
Jak zaś wypadły ilustracje Helen Oxenbury? Niesamowicie! Na początku było mi dziwnie patrzeć na taką wyluzowaną Alicję, w prostej sukieneczce - nie byłam jej pewna... ale się przekonałam, że Oxenbury doskonale wiedziała, co robi. Poczuła bliskość, ciepło, taką zwyczajność dnia letniego, w którego słońcu nic się nie chce, a godziny płyną leniwie. Wakacyjna atmosfera i dziewczynka, która ma w sobie wielką energię i ciekawość i tej znakomity królik! Może największe zastrzeżenie miałam do kota, ale ostatecznie jego zdradliwy, początkowy wygląd dachowca... olśniewa znakomitym żartem z każdego, kto ocenia kota po okładce.
ALICJA W KRAINIE DZIWÓW jest wydana absolutnie przepięknie. To perełka, z której ogromnie, ale to ogromnie się cieszę. Jedna z książek mojego życia - to się nigdy nie znudzi. Chciałabym bardzo, by Zysk i S-ka wydali jeszcze drugą część... choć trzymam kciuki, że wydadzą jeszcze Alicję w innych wydaniach, ponieważ jestem całkowicie zakręcona na punkcie tej opowieści i chętnie miałabym jej najpiękniejsze wydania.
takich dziwów nie widział nikt - poza marzycielami
Wydawnictwo Zysk i S-ka
egzemplarz recenzencki
Lecz powoli... Najpierw parę słów o samej historii. Chociaż każdy ją zna - a przynajmniej każdemu wydaje się, że zna Alicję, Białego Królika, Królową Kier i Kapelusznika - to prawda jest taka, że w głowach większość ludzi ma Alicję Disneya, a to inna Alicja. Nawet ta od Tima Bartona jest słabsza, a ogrom metafor nie wybrzmiewa w tak piękny sposób jak w pierwowzorze literackim.
Ta opowieść jest magiczna, wielowymiarowa i silnie filozoficzna. Prostota, z którą Alicja podchodzi do rzeczy "dziwnych" jest oczyszczająca i wzruszająca. Dzięki tej książce podróżuję w głąb Kariny Dziwów, którą noszę w sobie. To fascynujący portret ludzkiej psychiki i świata marzeń, który tylko pozornie wydaje się daleki, ale przecież czasem wystarczy zamknąć oczy...
Jerzy Łoziński ogromnie się nadał do tego przekładu. Mam wrażenie, że on się urodził dla tej opowieści. Jego drobiazgowość, wyczulenie na każde słowo, ma w przypadku tej książki nieocenioną wartość. Ta książka, to właśnie SŁOWO do SŁOWA. I wierszem i prozą czytelnik wnika w świat prawdziwych czarów.
Jak zaś wypadły ilustracje Helen Oxenbury? Niesamowicie! Na początku było mi dziwnie patrzeć na taką wyluzowaną Alicję, w prostej sukieneczce - nie byłam jej pewna... ale się przekonałam, że Oxenbury doskonale wiedziała, co robi. Poczuła bliskość, ciepło, taką zwyczajność dnia letniego, w którego słońcu nic się nie chce, a godziny płyną leniwie. Wakacyjna atmosfera i dziewczynka, która ma w sobie wielką energię i ciekawość i tej znakomity królik! Może największe zastrzeżenie miałam do kota, ale ostatecznie jego zdradliwy, początkowy wygląd dachowca... olśniewa znakomitym żartem z każdego, kto ocenia kota po okładce.
ALICJA W KRAINIE DZIWÓW jest wydana absolutnie przepięknie. To perełka, z której ogromnie, ale to ogromnie się cieszę. Jedna z książek mojego życia - to się nigdy nie znudzi. Chciałabym bardzo, by Zysk i S-ka wydali jeszcze drugą część... choć trzymam kciuki, że wydadzą jeszcze Alicję w innych wydaniach, ponieważ jestem całkowicie zakręcona na punkcie tej opowieści i chętnie miałabym jej najpiękniejsze wydania.
takich dziwów nie widział nikt - poza marzycielami
Wydawnictwo Zysk i S-ka
egzemplarz recenzencki
April 9, 2022
I could not find the edition I read on Goodreads, which is a 1907 edition published by Dodge with illustrations by Bessie Pease Gutmann, but no matter, the story remains the same. To call this story weird is to understate it dramatically. It seemed pretty much harmless enough to me, except for the queen's too-oft repeated "off with (his/her/their) head(s)!" admonition, but I can't say that I found many of Alice's oddball encounters especially memorable. I was really hoping the Doormouse would say "feed your head", but alas, it was not to be. I did wonder at various points what sorts of mushrooms Carroll was slipping into his omelets, but in the end I suppose it is attributable to a very creative and not terribly linear imaginative mind. I do think Carroll owes a bit of a debt to another writer of Irish extraction, namely Jonathan Swift, as there is some of Gulliver in Alice.
May 22, 2022
I am an avid Alice in Wonderland collector and that means collecting every little copy I can get my greedy hands on. Even little kid versions like this. If it's Alice? I want it. And OF COURSE I had to have the copy with a little Black girl on the cover. I've never seen Black Alice, or any other POC for that matter. So I got it. What I got was a beautiful copy of Alice that's both embodies the whimsical story but delivers on absolutely gorgeous artwork I am OBSESSED with. I know very little about art, I just enjoy it. And while books are an art form of their own without illustrations, these take it to another level. Gledhill is so amazing. I want to check out their other books with illustrations because I'm excited to see what they do!
August 27, 2023
How can you review a classic? I was read Alice many years ago by my mother and I bought this copy - with the new illustrations - for her. It is strange to return to it after all these years. Some parts are indelibly inked on my memory (either from that first exposure or the ubiquity of the book in our culture) while others were completely fresh.
Oxenbury's illustrations are fresh and provide different angles than the classic's from John Tenniel.
I suspect that I will dive back into the book again and find something different, unusual or psychologically revealing. I suspect I will never tire of Alice.
Oxenbury's illustrations are fresh and provide different angles than the classic's from John Tenniel.
I suspect that I will dive back into the book again and find something different, unusual or psychologically revealing. I suspect I will never tire of Alice.
May 21, 2023
This edition is sooo beautiful. Just read the hardcover copy printed in Italy with Helen Oxenbury's illustrations. The stories, well, it takes an adult to appreciate a mathematician's riddles, but kids would be intrigued by the curious turns of events, I guess?
In today's world there's no shortage of great children's literature. But it wasn't so when the book first came out. And honestly, to fit it in the narrow box of children's literature might make Charles Lutwidge Dodgson turn in grave.
In today's world there's no shortage of great children's literature. But it wasn't so when the book first came out. And honestly, to fit it in the narrow box of children's literature might make Charles Lutwidge Dodgson turn in grave.
July 24, 2021
I loved the simplicity of the text and illustrations. But even in its simplicity, it still had similarity to the original story. That's something you don't see to often in board book versions of classic stories. Well done!
September 25, 2022
Never read it as a child and now I know why. How did this become a classic? This edition has beautiful illustrations by Helen Oxenbury which is why I picked it up to begin with. Five stars for the illustrator and 2 stars for the author.
August 25, 2024
Quotes that I loved:
“Would the fall never finish?”
“It seemed quite stupid for life to go on in the usual way”
“If I’m not the same… who am I then?
“I can drown in my own tears”
“I have a right to think”
“She had only to open her eyes to find herself in reality”
“Would the fall never finish?”
“It seemed quite stupid for life to go on in the usual way”
“If I’m not the same… who am I then?
“I can drown in my own tears”
“I have a right to think”
“She had only to open her eyes to find herself in reality”
June 8, 2021
Great illustrations in this gentler, board book version of the surrealist classic.
February 24, 2022
Based on one of the books I loved as a child, this is a very shortened version in board book format. Also, Alice is a little brown girl in this version. Bright, busy illustrations.
September 15, 2022
My other favorite introductory for the babies to the world of Alice!
Read
February 2, 2023Baby - 2 years
*short simple, and non- white Alice.
*short simple, and non- white Alice.
January 7, 2024
This was a quick read. I finished this in a day and I enjoyed it, just as I did when I was younger. I loved all the weirdness. It took me away from this world for a little while.
May 6, 2025
Checked out from FW Library in TX
January 3, 2024
Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite books in general, and I love the whimsy of the board book version illustrated by Carly Gledhill. M's favorite page is the one with the caterpillar, because she gets to point at it and say "bug" (or "buh"). Beyond the bug, the illustrations are so fantastical it is difficult for her to identify any other animals / items, but it's still a great book.
Read @ 17 Months Old
Read @ 17 Months Old
April 24, 2019
Thanks to Penguin and Edelweiss for a pre-publications electronic review copy of this title.
While I applaud Gledhill for taking on the classic story and changing up a few of the main elements (Alice is brown skinned, the Mad Hatter is a round faced Frog), this retelling is otherwise weak and an un-necessary entry into the crowded market of Alice related materials.
While I applaud Gledhill for taking on the classic story and changing up a few of the main elements (Alice is brown skinned, the Mad Hatter is a round faced Frog), this retelling is otherwise weak and an un-necessary entry into the crowded market of Alice related materials.
October 16, 2019
This is a fun book. Not that race makes a difference but I do like that Alice in this book is of "color". Alice in Wonderland is a classic and favorite story of mine. I was on the journey from the beginning to the end with Alice. Young readers will have an enjoyable time looking at the pictures as well as reading this book. Parents will want to check out all of the books in this line by Penguin.
March 9, 2017
Once again, Nancy Wiley has beautifully illustrated another children's classic by photographing her posed unique, handmade dolls. This time Alice in Wonderland...do we dare hope she will do Through the Looking-glass next?
November 4, 2018
The illustrations are beautiful. It's old wine in be bottle.
Though I have heard about Alice in Wonderland and remember watching a cartoon series when I was young. This is my first recollection of reading the book.
I would imagine it would be more fun someone reading it to me.
Though I have heard about Alice in Wonderland and remember watching a cartoon series when I was young. This is my first recollection of reading the book.
I would imagine it would be more fun someone reading it to me.
January 17, 2019
Classic that was fun to read although was almost too fanciful for the kids. The illustrations by Helen Oxenbury were beautiful. We seem in general to prefer a mix of fanciful/reality for creative stories. The "plot" line wasn't as engaging for the kids.
April 6, 2019
*An Advance Reader Copy is how I can justly review this*
This too cute edition of the Lewis Carroll classic is the perfect gateway into the wonderful world of Alice for those a tad too young to read. The illustrations are beautiful, and in this particular rendition, that's what counts.
This too cute edition of the Lewis Carroll classic is the perfect gateway into the wonderful world of Alice for those a tad too young to read. The illustrations are beautiful, and in this particular rendition, that's what counts.
April 14, 2019
Bright, unique illustrations give this take on Alice's classic story just enough cuteness and appeal for toddlers and parents alike. Also, her overalls instead of apron are a delicious touch. I received a free e-ARC from Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.
December 3, 2019
This board book edition has adorable illustrations, the whimsical and weird feel of the original, and text that little ones can understand. This would be a great intro to the classic for the littlest readers.
March 16, 2015
Ms. Wiley's illustrations are gorgeous.
June 1, 2019
Absolutely love this edition with the wonderful, vibrant Helen Oxenbury illustrations, especially the double spreads, and especially the Mad Hatter's Tea Party!!!!!!!!!
July 31, 2019
A simplistic version of the Alice in Wonderland story in modern colors in a board book format. Still, this not your Disney Alice.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews