Alice in a Winter Wonderland

by Jan Brett, Jan Brett (Illustrator)

Overview

A striking rendition of Alice in Wonderland transported to a shimmering Alaskan tundra, in Jan Brett's rich signature style.

When Alice spies a white rabbit checking his pocket watch before hippity-hopping down a crevasse in an Alaskan glacier, she knows she must follow him. And so she pops down the rabbit hole, into a world of absurd personalities, topsy-turvy action, and laugh-out-loud silliness. Favorite characters like Cheshire Cat and the Duchess and King and Queen come to life as vibrant animals native to Alaska making this classic tale shine through a fresh lens, certain to appeal to readers of all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593533895
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	11/26/2024
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	23 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jan Brett lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer, her family moves to a home in the Berkshire Hills. She is a New York Times #1 bestselling author/illustrator, one of America’s most popular, with over 44 million books in print, and has brought to life lovable characters and imaginary backdrops for children for more than 40 years. Her illustrations are adored for their classic beauty and vibrant, life-like images of animals, landscapes, and flourishes from cultures around the world. While Jan is most known for her children’s books, she is also an award-winning breeder of ornamental fowl (fancy chickens!).  Some of her best book ideas come from favorite activities including extensive travel and exploration of the natural world, marathon training, and listening to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where her husband is a musician.

Editorial Reviews

★ “A highly artistic rendition of a loved fantasy for the classroom and the public library shelves. . . The narrative provides vocabulary words and phrase repetition, allowing an interactive reading with upper primary kids covering the fantasy unit. Although the narrative appears playful, it is also reminiscent of the 19th-century nonsense literature that Carroll mastered. Brett offers detail-oriented, intricately beautiful illustrations characteristic of her work.” –School Library Journal, starred review

“Characteristic of Brett’s illustrative style, each spread is packed with detail. Observant readers will find much to explore, from the well-worn playing cards that line each page to the intricate Alaskan birds and mammals featured at every turn.” –Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

★ 10/01/2024

Gr 3–5—As Native Alaskan Alice and her sister rest with their sled dogs in a midwinter turquoise and jade green scenery, she spots a white rabbit descending a glacier. Such a view invites her to follow the rabbit, venturing into a whimsical world and encountering creatures like the extinct Great Auk and Smilodon, and mythical ones like the gryphon. This retelling follows the classic by Lewis Carroll with anthropomorphism, puberty symbolism with Alice's shrinking and growing, and her interaction with the Queen of Hearts. The narrative provides vocabulary words and phrase repetition, allowing an interactive reading with upper primary kids covering the fantasy unit. Although the narrative appears playful, it is also reminiscent of the 19th-century nonsense literature that Carroll mastered. Brett offers detail-oriented, intricately beautiful illustrations characteristic of her work. The watercolors and gouache, with collage art, are enhanced with decorated borders showcasing clubs, diamonds, hearts, and space cards. VERDICT A highly artistic rendition of a loved fantasy for the classroom and the public library shelves.—Kathia Ibacache

School Library Journal

2024-09-28
A retelling ofAlice’s Adventures in Wonderland, set in the Alaskan tundra.

Prolific picture-book author and illustrator Brett depicts Alice with short black hair, tan skin, and a fur-lined parka, while Lewis Carroll’s well-known characters are recast in new guises: The Cheshire Cat and Queen of Hearts appear as a Smilodon (saber-toothed cat) and snowy owl, respectively. Progressing at a rapid-fire pace, the narrative follows key moments of the original plot, including Alice’s fall down the rabbit hole (located within a glacier here), her tea party with the Hatter and the March Hare (this time, with the Old Prospector and the Varying Hare), and a scene where several playing cards paint the roses red (instead, the cotton grass) at the Queen’s behest. Characteristic of Brett’s illustrative style, each spread is packed with detail. Observant readers will find much to explore, from the well-worn playing cards that line each page to the intricate Alaskan birds and mammals featured at every turn. Still, the hectic rhythm of the story might lose youngsters, and its ho-hum text flattens some of Carroll’s whimsy. Adults may be disappointed that Brett has chosen to highlight only the area’s animals and colonial history (the Prospector hearkens back to Alaska’s history of colonial encroachment), with no explicit mention of the land’s rich Indigenous nations and cultures.

A visually engaging but otherwise underwhelming take on a classic.(Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews