One Fun Day with Lewis Carroll: A Celebration of Wordplay and a Girl Named Alice

Krull's playful biography of Lewis Carroll highlights the many words that Carroll himself coined: "Their burbles of delight would brighten the tulgey wood around them." Each word is color-coded to indicate the Carroll work it appears in, and there's a glossary, as well. An unmarried professor of logic and mathematics, Carroll cultivated relationships with the children of his friends, inventing stories for them and taking them on expeditions. As many know, the story of Alice in Wonderland was first told to a girl of that name on a summer rowing outing; Krull includes a longish synopsis, allowing the introduction of yet more Carrollisms. Sarda's sly set pieces resemble the domestic scenes she created for The Lizsts; they show Carroll and his child friends in Victorian dress, playing hide-and-seek in stuffy drawing rooms and out picnicking. But the Alice in Wonderland sequence gives Sarda more scope--a dazzling spread of Alice chasing the White Rabbit through surreal flowers of scarlet and gold shows that hers is a bold, versatile talent. Ages 6-9. Author's agent: Susan Cohen, Writers House. Illustrator's agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Jan.)

Gr 3-5--This short introduction to Lewis Carroll's personality emphasizes his keen ability for storytelling; his bizarre characters and tales; his penchant for imaginative play, which endeared him to his 10 younger siblings and friends' children; and his talent for wordplay that has kept his stories alive throughout a century and a half. The real Alice of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There was 10 years old, and "like the Queen of Hearts, a bit bossy." Descriptive words invented by Carroll are printed in red and described in a glossary at the end, followed by two pages of biographical information about the famed author and his writings. Sarda's colorful, highly decorative illustrations are filled with patterned clothing, costumes, birds, butterflies, and flowers, all set against stark white pages. Renditions of Carroll's well-known characters are sprinkled throughout. VERDICT This fabulous short introduction to Carroll and the world and language he created is a great lead-in to his famous stories for young people.--Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH