Alice in Wonderland
We bring you here the famous tale of Alice as she falls through the rabbit hole and down into a strange and nonsensical world.
This story, from the author Lewis Carroll, has been delighting children across the world since it was first published in 1886. It is one of the most popular works of English-language fiction and we have chosen this edition from Carroll's first manuscript, which he called Alice's Adventures Underground and he has illustrated himself.
It is wonderful to be able to see how Carroll envisioned the characters he created. You can even see the lines of the pencil on the textured paper he used.
Come travel with Alice as she meets a talking rabbit, grows 9ft tall, has a conversation with a smoking caterpillar and almost has her head chopped off by the Queen of hearts.
She is depicted as curious, brave, and kind-hearted while also, at times, naive and somewhat impulsive.
Alice’s curiosity and determination drive the story forward, and her encounters with various beings in Wonderland create a sense of surrealism and absurdity.
Ready to delight again and again.
Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll was the pen name for Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 Jan 1832-14 Jan 1898). He was an English poet, author, photographer, mathematician and deacon of the Anglican church.
He was noted for his facility with wordplay, logic and fantasy and his poems like Jabberwocky and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass enchant the reader through their brilliant language and the wonderful and fantastical stories and characters.
He and his work have been celebrated world wide and his stories have become classics. Alice and her fellow characters are some of the most beloved literary characters ever.
"She ran out of the house as quick as she could, and found quite a crowd of little animals waiting outside - guinea-pigs, white mice, squirrels, and "Bill" a little green lizard, that was being supported in the arms of one of the guinea-pigs, while another was giving it something out of a bottle. They all made a rush at her the moment she appeared, but Alice ran her hardest, and soon found herself in a thick wood."
"If you please, Sir-" the rabbit started violently, looked up once into the roof of the hall, from which the voice seemed to come, and then dropped the nose-gay and the white kid gloves, and scurried away into the darkness, as hard as it could go."
"Who are you?" said the caterpillar. This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation: Alice replied rather shyly, "I—I hardly know, sir, just at present—at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since that."
"Off with her Head"
"The Queen of Hearts she made some tarts
All on a summer day:
The Knave of Hearts he stole those tarts,
And took them quite away!"
Hello I'm Jess
I love Alice in Wonderland...as it shows that our imaginations are capable of wonderful things, and that not everything has to 'make sense',,
I am delighted to be reading Alice to you today and I hope you LOVE it as much as I do!
REVIEWS
"I thought it was a magical story when I first read it when I was a child and I have read it every year since then - I am now 64 years and 11 months. It's the best understanding I have of the English Class system and the sense of humour. It is hilarious, and funny and satirical and magical all at once." Richard E Grant
"Speaking of the characters...they'r all incredibly memorable and provide insight into the author's perspective on Victorian society. From the Hatter to the Queen of Hearts, each character represents a different aspect of the human condition and provides an interesting commentary on the absurdities of the world around us." George Thomas
"I found the book fun and exciting never knowing what was going to happen next. This book is a delightful book for any age. I found I grew more curious as to what would happen next with every page I turned. If you love adventures this book is definitely the book for you." Molly Yr 6
Alice in Wonderland Curriculum
- About Lewis Carroll
- Who Will Riddle me The How and the Why? (6:21)
- Alice's Adventures Underground - Contents
- Chapter 1 - Down the Rabbit Hole (14:09)
- Chapter 1a - A Pool of Tears (13:23)
- Chapter 2 - A Long Tale (11:48)
- Chapter 2a - The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill (11:47)
- Chapter 3 - Advice from a Caterpillar (18:32)
- Chapter 4 - The Queen's Croquet Grounds (10:28)
- Chapter 4a - The Mock Turtle's Story and the Lobster Quadrille
- Post Script (0:36)
- An Easter Letter (3:58)
- A Christmas Greeting (0:54)
Lewis Carroll's Christmas Message
In Alice Underground, Lewis Carrol attached several letters, one about Christmas, another about Easter and the other a letter to a woman who ran an orphanage. Here is his Christmas greeting.