Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, retold by Joe Rhatigan & Charles Nurnberg, illustrated by Eric Puybaret (Koala Books for Scholastic)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-74276-141-1

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Alice is a bold girl with a curious nature. Intrigued by a white rabbit with a pocket watch, she follows him down his rabbit hole and finds herself in a magical land full of strange and wonderful creatures.

This modern retelling of Alice in Wonderland pares back the story into a simplified version appropriate to a picture book format. It captures Alice’s mood of careless casualness beautifully.

‘Alice was sitting by the river having an oh-so-ordinary afternoon, when a White Rabbit ran by.’

Rather than attempt to tell the whole story, we are given a slice of Alice’s adventures to follow. We meet the increasingly, urgently late White Rabbit, the Dodo, Mouse, Bill the Lizard and the blue caterpillar sitting on a giant mushroom. But no Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter, or Queen and cards. Perhaps there are more books to come.

The vibrant, bold, luminescent and curious illustrations match the zany storyline well. The glossy pages glow with colour. Wide-eyed Alice is surrounded by, not only the creatures mentioned in the text, but also weird and wonderful insects, birds, monkeys. The strange environment of Wonderland is subtle, but if you pay close attention you can make out the faces in the trees and clouds, the appearance of a seal in the island in the lake of tears, and the carrot forest.

As in all good picture books, the text changes in font and size, becoming part of the page layout, emphasising the reading of certain words. 

Alice in Wonderland is a literary classic. Read and loved over the years by countless children and adults, this fun version is the 150^th anniversary edition. Join Alice in her own bizarre world where she shrinks, grows and explores the wonders of an afternoon which turns out to be ‘not ordinary at all’.

Those Pesky Rabbits

Those Pesky Rabbits by Ciara Flood (Koala Books for Scholastic)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-74276-144-2

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Bear was perfectly happy living by himself in the middle of nowhere. Then one day a family of rabbits built a house and moved in next door. Those Pesky Rabbits is a fun story about a grumpy bear and his new neighbours who constantly want to borrow, share, and include him in their activities and lives. All Bear wants is to be left alone.  Or does he?

This thoroughly enjoyable picture book shows the power of kindness, community, consideration for others and generosity of spirit.

A nice sense of rhythm is created with the repetitive nature of the story - the knock, knock of the rabbits at the door and the bear’s grumpy answers - make the story just right for preschool aged children and enjoyable for their adult readers. There is a wonderful echo of the beginning in the ending. It is the same yet completely different, giving a real sense of closure.

The illustrations are gorgeous and give fabulous characteristics to the animal's personalities. They also provide much to look at - follow the journey of the mouse throughout the pictures.

Those Pesky Rabbits has a lovely and important message, and is told in a gentle, amusing way. Skilfully and entertainingly written, this picture book will be a hit with young children. The last line may well become a phrase children say with relish at the end of the story each and every time this picture book is read to them.

This is an impressive debut from author-illustrator Ciara Flood.