Issue 16 Spring 2015

NEWS
ALICE IN
WONDERLAND
I’ve been a voracious reader
ever since my mother taught
me to read before I went to
school. I always had my nose
in a book whenever possible,
a regularly full library card
and delayed numerous
bedtimes with the plea of
just one more chapter before
resorting to the torch under
the duvet trick.
So if I come across a children’s
classic I didn’t read when
I was younger I’m often
surprised and, with Alice in
Wonderland, I’m also a little
disappointed as I’m pretty
sure I would have loved it.
I still enjoyed it as
an adult, but as a child the
fantastical world accessible
from our own if you only
Absurd and amusing – don’t let your
child miss out on a land of wonder
As a curious character from children’s literature gets ready
to light a lot of candles on her birthday cake this year,
Karen Malpass discovers lots of good reasons to introduce
your children to an enduring surreal story…
know just where to look (I
tried out the odd wardrobe
or two after reading the
Narnia novels), talking
animals and a forthright main
character who’s not afraid to
explore but who stays true
to her self would have been
particularly inspiring.
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson’s
tale was written for his
friend’s daughters originally
– the Liddell sisters Edith,
Alice and Lorina – but quickly
found
many fans,
including
Queen
Victoria,
on its
publication
“The most weird and
wonderful children’s
book you’ll ever read,
Alice in Wonderland
is a timeless classic
that you’ll enjoy over
and over again,”
under the pseudonym Lewis
Carroll. The permanently
late White Rabbit, grinning
Cheshire Cat and murderous
Queen of Hearts, alongside
the wildly curious Alice,
never released their grip on
the public’s imagination and
the book is now
celebrating its
150th anniversary.
And, with many
events being
organised and
special editions and
new works inspired
by the original
and it’s Through
the Looking Glass sequel
being published to mark the
occasion, there’s every reason
to introduce your young
readers to the absurd and
amusing world where bodies
shrink and grow, white
roses are painted red and a
narcoleptic dormouse it used
as a cushion by a March Hare
and a Hatter.
“Alice is among so many
people’s favourite childhood
books, I certainly spent many
happy hours in her company
as a child,” says bookseller
Gill Hart from Lindum Books.
“When we opened Lindum
Books a year ago we were
give a framed picture of the
Alice quote ‘You’re entirely
bonkers. But I’ll tell you a
secret. All the best people
8
Spring 2015