Odone's retelling of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
reinvents the world not as dark and dangerous—as many modern interpretations have done—but with all the whimsy and wonder of a child chasing a mysterious white rabbit. Mixing text with stick figure illustrations, Odone follows an Alice who is now somewhat pluckier than in her original incarnation as she meets the iconic Wonderland residents. What is thankfully lost in the translation are the political subtexts that made Carroll's original work less like a fairy tale and more like a story of caution. Alice is simply a girl who outwits the bumbling and the bad rulers of Wonderland. The Red Queen is a villain and not a political allegory. Fans of Odone's other works, Honey Badgers
and The Bedtime Train
, will find Alice to be a departure from his regular style, but his neat little stick drawings are wholly reminiscent of how children actually draw during their early artistic years, making it an easy book to pick up. Odone's lighthearted take on the characters is refreshing; it allows the story to breathe and see itself in a new and magical way. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)
