Through the Looking Glass: And What Alice Found There

Reynolds has a friendly, frolicksome tone that helps children engage with Carroll’s verbal antics, delightful silliness, and the very amusing concept of moving through and maneuvering in the reverse world of a mirror. Reynolds actually manages to recite the book’s famous verse “Jabberwocky” backward, as though reading it in mirror writing. “It seems very pretty,” Alice says, “but it’s rather hard to understand!” Children familiar with the game of chess will take giggly pleasure in Alice’s maneuvers on the squares and her encounters with the red and white kings and queens and other characters familiar from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Reynolds’ vocal antics help children interpret words and actions and enhance the many pleasures of Alice’s post-Wonderland journey while managing to keep adult listeners entertained. (Dec.)