Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Stickfiguratively Speaking)

K-Gr 5—The first in a new series, this book takes an innovative approach to a well-known tale. Lewis Carroll's text has been adapted in a way that accentuates the action and emphasizes the playfulness of the language, resulting in a briskly focused and evenly paced retelling. The narrative is deftly illustrated with stick-figure characters and simple backdrops. Though seemingly straightforward, the pen-and-ink drawings are both graceful and kinetic. The artist's fluid lines work particularly well in underscoring Alice's ever-changing size and the resulting shifts in her perspective. Wry bits of dialogue—some cleverly taken from the original and others penned by Odone—are also integrated into the story and add touches of tongue-in-cheek humor. Alice, who wears an old-fashioned frock and sports a headband with a flower, is at the top of her game; never too frightened or homesick, she leaves readers with an impression of steadfast self-confidence and an adventure well enjoyed. Oddly, the title page makes no mention of Carroll, though at book's end, when she is told by her sister to get ready for afternoon tea and a visitor, Alice muses, "I wonder if Mr. Dodgson will want to hear my story?" A fun and fresh interpretation.—Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal