Alice in Wonderland

June 1, 2003
'Tis the season for journeying down rabbit holes. In addition to Sabuda's and Seibold's pop-up editions (see Children's Forecasts, Sept. 22). Ralph Steadman portrays the curious girl in spirited illustrations that bring new life to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Steadman's imaginative pen-and-ink drawings, which first appeared in a 1968 British edition, have here been restored, reformatted and updated. The White Rabbit's anxiety at his tardiness seems insurmountable in an opening portrait; the bottle labeled "Drink Me" unmistakably resembles a classic Coca-Cola bottle; and the artist depicts Alice outgrowing the White Rabbit's house as a wordless spread of the girl in a dark interior, with only a window as the source of light. His artwork deftly blends contemporary ideas with timeless psychological portrayals.

June 15, 2010

This too-ambitious graphic adaptation of the beloved childhood tale falls extremely short of the mark. In this reworking of Carroll's great tale of whimsy and imagination, readers will be transported to a very clumsy, wonder-less Wonderland. Though Helfand hits most of the memorable points in the original story—the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, the caterpillar, the Cheshire cat—the combination of the awkward art with text proves to be distracting. Nagulakonda's maladroit art is ultimately this adaptation's weakest spot; the strained, rough-hewn faces are nothing short of disconcerting. Alice's face, in particular, is troubling in many panels, looking pained or vacant instead of possessing a look of wonder at her curious surroundings. The clunky adaptation and clumsier art will leave its readers cold. Given these flaws and comparing it to the development and sophistication of many of the graphic novels currently available, this feels like an amateurish work in desperate need of refinement. (Graphic classic. 9-12)

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November 24, 2014
Puybaret brings a playful sophistication to his dreamlike images, which are well matched to the unpredictable atmosphere of Carroll’s classic fantasy. However, this adaptation only sets out to tell the first part of Alice’s story, focusing on her helter-skelter pursuit of the White Rabbit and her fluctuating size as she samples Wonderland’s drinks, cakes, and mushrooms. The illustrator’s inventive use of perspective makes the most of these transformations (readers peer down at Alice from above as she shrinks, for example), but Alice’s literal highs and lows don’t add up to much of a story. Puybaret includes a cameo from the Cheshire Cat and an allusion to the Mad Hatter’s tea party, but these and others are left to (possible) later books. A visually enticing story, albeit one that doesn’t stand on its own. All ages.

May 25, 2015
In time for the 150th anniversary of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, four key moments from the story—including Alice’s fall down the rabbit hole and her croquet match with the Queen of Hearts—play out in gracefully crafted scenes that expand in an accordion-like fashion when readers pull two tabs. A tidily abridged retelling fills in the gaps surrounding these events, accented by Taylor’s spot illustrations, which depict such scenes as the pool of tears and the mad tea party. Alice appears as a somewhat stiff, doll-like girl in an A-line dress, while other chief characters include a hawkish Hatter and a glowering Queen of Hearts. Though the pop-up vignettes may be the main draw for many readers, this abridgement is still an accessible entry point into the larger story. Ages 5–up.