cover image Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

Lewis Carroll. Firefly Books, $29.95 (128pp) ISBN 978-1-55297-754-5

'Tis the season for journeying down rabbit holes. In addition to Sabuda's and Seibold's pop-up editions (see Children's Forecasts, Sept. 22). Ralph Steadman portrays the curious girl in spirited illustrations that bring new life to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Steadman's imaginative pen-and-ink drawings, which first appeared in a 1968 British edition, have here been restored, reformatted and updated. The White Rabbit's anxiety at his tardiness seems insurmountable in an opening portrait; the bottle labeled ""Drink Me"" unmistakably resembles a classic Coca-Cola bottle; and the artist depicts Alice outgrowing the White Rabbit's house as a wordless spread of the girl in a dark interior, with only a window as the source of light. His artwork deftly blends contemporary ideas with timeless psychological portrayals.