I love Alice in Wonderland. I love the cheesy Disney movie, the not-so-great Tim Burton adaptation (I’m very much looking forward to the sequel) and the fairly surreal (and somewhat unnerving) 1998 Alice through the Looking Glass. So of course I do very much enjoy the book itself. When I saw the opportunity to purchase this anniversary edition of the original manuscript, I took it.

This story is significantly more simple than the more widely known Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.It’s missing some of the more well known scenes, such as the Mad Tea Party and the encounter with the Cheshire cat. However, it is still an enjoyable and amusing read, as it follows Alice and her frustrating attempts to get into the garden and never seeming to be the proper Alice-sized Alice. While reading it, it was far to easy to imagine a silly man telling such a whimsical story for the entertainment of little girls.

I rate this story 5/5 stars. It was so very delightful, and as it is a children’s book, it was a very fast read. It combines nonsense with a silly sense of humor and is sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face. I always wondered how it was that Charles Dodgson was able to tell such a whimsical tale to three young girls, and now having read it, I understand.