Publishers Weekly Review
If Zwerger's Alice (reviewed above) is deliciously cryptic, Oxenbury's (Tom and Pippo books) brims with the fun and frights of a visit to an amusement park. In perhaps her most ambitious work to date, Oxenbury applies her finely honed instinct for a child's perspective to create an Alice accessible to all ages. With the opening scene of a tomboyish heroine slumped against her sister who is reading under a tree, the artist seems to answer Alice's first line: "What is the use of a book... without pictures or conversations?" Nearly every spread contains either a spot-line drawing or full-bleed full-color painting. The artist nods to Tenniel with her hilarious portrait of the waistcoated White Rabbit and even extends the metaphor of the "grin without a cat" with a quartet of watercolors as the Cheshire Cat begins to disappearÄuntil only his grin remains. The villains here are more stoogelike than menacing, including the baby-throwing Duchess and the Queen of Hearts, and Oxenbury makes the most of such comic opportunities as the entangled powdered wigs of the Frog-Footman and Fish-Footman. A series of cleverly choreographed closing scenes shows Alice in the Queen's courtroom, pelted by the playing cards that, on the next spread, seem to have transformed into the falling leaves of the tree where Alice awakens and her sister gives her a kiss; a poignant parting shot of Alice's sister silhouetted at dusk under the tree, with sheep grazing in the field, acknowledges the shift in tone of Carroll's conclusion. An ideal first introduction to a lifelong favorite read. Ages 8-up. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved |
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3 Up-A fresh visual interpretation of Carroll's classic. Oxenbury presents the unforgettable characters in a winning combination of black-and-white drawings and her recognizable softly shaded watercolors. Hers is a thoroughly modern Alice clad in a blue jumper and sneakers, a hefty and somewhat androgynous Duchess and Queen of Hearts, and the very colorful Mad Hatter in mismatched attire. Despite the contemporary twists, Oxenbury's droll, understated humor captures the essence of Carroll's fantasy world. Certainly, there is no shortage of "Alice" versions. Despite the plethora of choices, this edition is worthy of consideration. The original story is delivered with lively and appealing artwork in a package of impressive book design. Purists may prefer a more traditional interpretation, but most libraries will find this book to be a delightful addition to their collections.-Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |