Alice in Verse

Gr 4 Up—Since it first appeared in print in 1865, Alice in Wonderland has inspired and enchanted adults and children. This slim collection of verses styles itself as the "lost rhymes" that shed light on the subject of Wonderland and the world of the looking-glass. Revisiting beloved creations such as the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, the Walrus and the Carpenter, Holden leads readers down the rabbit hole and starts up the tea party again: "'No room!' cried the Hatter. 'No room!' cried the Hare./Please join us at once! There is no room to spare!" Holden's dense verses seem forced when compared to Carroll's classic whimsy. Alice samples the cake that makes her grow larger: "How curious the morsel slides/Along the stretching throat!/How scarcely does the hall of doors/Accommodate the bloat." Johnson's cartoonish black-and-white drawings also miss the mark. Young readers are best advised to stick with Carroll's original and skip this collection of muddled verses.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA