Alice in a Winter Wonderland

Gr 3-5–As Native Alaskan Alice and her sister rest with their sled dogs in a midwinter turquoise and jade green scenery, she spots a white rabbit descending a glacier. Such a view invites her to follow the rabbit, venturing into a whimsical world and encountering creatures like the extinct Great Auk and Smilodon, and mythical ones like the gryphon. This retelling follows the classic by Lewis Carroll with anthropomorphism, puberty symbolism with Alice’s shrinking and growing, and her interaction with the Queen of Hearts. The narrative provides vocabulary words and phrase repetition, allowing an interactive reading with upper primary kids covering the fantasy unit. Although the narrative appears playful, it is also reminiscent of the 19th-century nonsense literature that Carroll mastered. Brett offers detail-oriented, intricately beautiful illustrations characteristic of her work. The watercolors and gouache, with collage art, are enhanced with decorated borders showcasing clubs, diamonds, hearts, and space cards.