cover image Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

Lewis Carroll, , illus. by Rodney Matthews. . Candlewick/Templar, $24.99 (95pp) ISBN 978-0-7636-4568-7

These lushly illustrated hardcover gift books are meant to be cherished for years to come.

Alice in Wonderland Lewis Carroll , illus. by Rodney Matthews. Candlewick/Templar , $24.99 (96p) ISBN 978-0-7636-4568-7

An interplanetary landscape serves as the backdrop to Alice’s journey in this fantastical rendition, which fits into a sturdy slipcase. Alice—whose long blonde hair is streaked with gray and facial features seem almost haunted—encounters a cast of familiar characters who, in Matthews’s hands, have exaggerated, alien qualities: an especially bestial March Hare and a goblinlike Mad Hatter appear at the tea party, as a living tree looks on. In addition to surreal and vibrant full-spread scenes, b&w spot art often appears beside Carroll’s text. Matthews’s original and psychedelic conception befits the story’s unworldly essence. All ages. (Sept.)