Secretly we finished Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll weeks ago. My friend Shauna thought it would be fun to dress as Alice for Halloween and have her daughter dress as little Alice. Adorable, no? She patterned her costumes after the dresses Alice wears in the new movie version. I asked if I could take their pictures when she finished the costumes. She did such an amazing job on both dresses. Her attention to detail is astounding. She made spats for her daughter's costume! Spats!
(This isn't the best picture. It looks like the paparazzi took it, but I wanted you to get the full effect of their dresses.)I've been searching for a better word to describe this book but all I can come up with is "trippy." It really is quite bizarre. Sometimes in a good way. Most of the humor involved puns and other such hilarious wordplay. I think it was too high-brow for my kids. Or any kids. Were kids just smarter 50 years ago?
I don't think they would have understood the book very well if they hadn't already seen the new Disney movie starring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. I didn't watch the movie until after we read the book and was surprised how much I liked it. The previews made me feel so scared inside, but in context it all works really beautifully. It was a completely seperate story from the book. We also watched a super lame Australian cartoon version from the '80's and the old Disney animated movie. I think the Disney cartoon is the closest to the book, but there are several additions and some welcome subtractions to it. I've never read Through the Looking Glass and am curious (curiouser and curiouser) to know if some of the movie characters are in that book.
Sadly I'm still waiting for the made for t.v. movie from 1985 starring Carol Channing, Red Buttons, and Scott Baio to come in at the library. Apparently that's a hot item.
Both Harrison and Chloe absolutely loved the new Alice in Wonderland movie. I thought it would scare them but it didn't at all. Chloe liked the cartoons a lot. Neither were big fans of the book, but they didn't protest because they love storytime.
Thank you, beautiful Alice's for a fun afternoon in Wonderland!
11 Wisecracks:
Wow! She did an amazing job!
PS: I own the 1985 TV movie version of that. Too bad you live across the country, I'd let you borrow it. :)
PPS: I've been trying to have story time with my kids, too, but we're failing miserably. We've been reading "The Mouse & The Motorcycle" for about a month. I'm pretty sure that book should only take a few days at most. Ah well. We're trying.
Thank you Melissa!
Also, many of the characters do come from Through the Looking-Glass. But I thought the story was slower and weirder than the first. That's where you find the Tweedles and the Walrus and the Carpenter (poem) and the Red & White Queens and the Jabberwocky (poem). Most of the movie versions do a good blend of the two and are better for it. They also tend to have a plot... which I'm not convinced that either of the books had! But they are a treasure nonetheless. The Jabberwocky is one of my favorite poems!
Those costumes are beautiful! I also love the 1985 version..if it is the one I am thinking of. It must be because I remember Carol Channing specifically. Was it also called Alice in Wonderland? Maybe I will have to check out my library or netflix and see if I can find it! I think it is so great you are reading to your kids. Go you!
i don't even know what spats are! good gracious, that girl is motivated. she did an awesome job. and this IS the perfect theme for the giant/tiny person effect. congratulations for sticking out the trippy novel.
So, so cute. One of my favorite places in all of that city. And you've never seen Through The Looking Glass? Odd. Since I so clearly remember watching that at your house in Woods Cross. Scared the pants off me. But to be fair, I was usually in a heightened state of fear when I was there. Something about the stories of what would befall anyone who dared step foot in the older girls' rooms...
BAHAHAHA! You don't even KNOW the fear, Ashley! I even wrote an English paper on the subject of what happens when you enter my older sister's room. I have vague recollections of what that movie looks like but I haven't seen it recently.
Ahem. If you grew up with little sisters breaking/destroying/walking away with everything you ever owned, you'd become a tyrant too. Brand new nail polish dumped on the carpet, Melissa? You gotta protect yourself somehow! (Also your friends were waaaaay to curious)
Jen, I guarantee you I would have been much much worse. (Not that it's a contest.)
Is the 1985 version the one where they sing that song, "Jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never-ever jam today!"? You know, the one that Allyn used to sing while dancing like a Charlie Brown character?
GORGEOUS DRESSES!!!!!
LOVE the picture of her holding her daughter in her palm. Fabulous!
Dang Shauna has mad skills I must say! Her little girl looks just like little Alice from the movie.
I can't believe how incredible those costumes are! I mean, I just attempted sew for the first time since 12th grade and it was only a birp cloth and it was no easy task....
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