Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and Through The Looking-Glass - Best Illustrated Editions (by Lewis Carroll, ill. Helen Oxenbury)



Alice was beginning to get very tired
of sitting by her sister on the bank,

and of having nothing to do:
once or twice she had peeped

into the book her sister was reading,
but it had no pictures or conversations in it,

`and what is the use of a book,'  thought Alice
`without pictures or conversation?'

Helen Oxenbury's wonderfully illustrated Alice 

 
It's a no brainer.

What "Read Aloud" families really need is a steady supply of books!

The responsibility for researching and ordering the books in our family is on my shoulders. It's not a chore - I volunteered.

We live in an area that is not well served by libraries (no libraries close by!), so its either buy up or shut up (leave my twins without any read aloud material).


I'd rather buy. At least I want to buy all the good books that they should not miss while growing up. It's a responsibility that I gladly took over.

But, I never knew that one needed to invest so much time to find the best books and most valuable read aloud editions for one's kids.

Nothing is 100% reliable - not even Amazon reviews, Top 100 children's books lists, recommendations from friends, newspaper reviews, word of mouth. I rely on all ... and then ... on myself.

Ultimately the responsibility is yours, so you'd better be sure you are spending your money on the very best.



In between the reviews, I will share the rationale of my selection process and give you info on books that I am ordering (before I read them) and the reasons why I ordered them.

Although not the cheapest option, I make a point of ordering hardcover & well illustrated versions of the most important books - as I want them to last as long as they can and to minimize the possible "boredom factor" for my listeners. Hopefully, my kids will also be able to read them to their own kids one day.

Oh yes. I almost forgot - 99% of books I order are UNABRIDGED. No need to water down the beautiful language. I want to expose them early to the complexity of the vocabulary and they will absorb it as a sponge. Make a point of searching for unabridged editions - it will pay off!

After extensive personal research to find the best version of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland this week I ordered:

1. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
   (unabridged edition illustrated by Helen Oxenbury)

Lewis Carroll's charming and magical Alice in Wonderland needs compatible illustrations to ensure the story works at its best level - and there are lots of options in the market. After spending almost a week of research, I had that EUREKA moment when I saw the unabridged version published by Candlewick and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, one of the world’s most acclaimed children's book illustrators.

A delightful take on the magical world in gentle watercolors and sepia-toned illustrations and in a beautiful edition that is destined to become a new classic. Oxenbury's Alice - at the same time both old-fashioned and modern - is just what I was looking for! I can't wait to start reading it to my twins!

2. Alice Through The Looking-Glass 
    (unabridged edition illustrated by Helen Oxenbury)

Don't forget that Lewis Carrol's Alice fable was writtent in two separate books and I was heartened to see that Helen Oxenbury illustrated this companion Candlewick edition to the original Alice in Wonderland!

It's as good a story as the wonderland edition (I will be reviewing them both), but the important matter is the quality! The illustrations are apparently as marvelous as in Alice's Adventures  in Wonderland. I snapped them up together!

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a. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Oxenbury illustrations) is available from bookstores in the US, Canada and the UK

b. Alice Through the Looking Glass (Oxenbury illustrations) is available from bookstores in the US, Canada and the UK

c. The Complete Alice 2 books Set Pack (Oxenbury Illustrated slipcased gift set):

VERDICT: SNAP IT UP!