Alice's Adventures In Wonderland by Robert Sabuda (Illustrator), Lewis Carroll

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
Pop-up guru Robert Sabuda performs his paper engineering magic again with this stunning adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic tale.

With large and small textured pop-ups -- some of the animals are actually furry -- that will dazzle you with their intricacy and inventiveness, Sabuda's rendition tells the familiar tale of Alice as she falls down the rabbit hole and makes her way through Wonderland. The book features artwork based on John Tenniel's time-honored illustrations and text that follows the original story, and each spread includes several smaller pop-ups in "subpages," along with larger pop-ups taking center stage. Some of the amazing must-sees are Alice's initial fall down to Wonderland (with an accordion-like feature labelled "Open me" to pull up and peek into); the Mad Hatter's tea party, with silvery dishware that includes a fuzzy dormouse; and the croquet match that opens wide. But it's the final final spread of Alice and a flurrying pack of cards (all 52 cards are there) that is sure to put you over the blissful edge.

With bestselling renditions like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Night Before Christmas under his belt, Sabuda checks off another classic and keeps his fans cheering for more. The creator simply gets better with each book, adding extras that always push the limits. This treat is an adventure that you won't want to miss. Matt Warner

From the Publisher

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is Robert Sabuda's most amazing creation ever, featuring stunning pop-ups illustrated in John Tenniel's classic style. The text is faithful to Lewis Carroll's original story, and special effects like a Victorian peep show, multifaceted foil, and tactile elements make this a pop-up to read and admire again and again.

The New York Times

[Sabuda] has created an object that is the most absorbing book/toy I've played with in a long time. The intelligent paper trickery on each spread is, well, awesome.

Publishers Weekly

Readers will be astonished by every tableau in this pop-up extravaganza. The initial spread explodes into a surprisingly tall green forest, topped by billowing leafy shapes that resemble the Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter and Queen of Hearts. On the lawn below, in papery 3D, Alice scurries about while the White Rabbit checks his pocket watch. Along the left-hand border of the book, a series of narrow flaps present an adaptation of Lewis Carroll's text. These pages-within-pages feature pop-ups of a green bottle ("Drink me") that shrinks Alice, a cake that makes her a giant and Alice swimming in "the pool of tears that she had wept when she was nine feet high." Finally, an accordion-pleated square in the lower right corner expands into a long, vertical rabbit hole; through its circular window, Alice can be seen falling, as if into a well. And that's only the beginning. Subsequent stages of this moveable feast include a wiggly Alice grown too large for the White Rabbit's house; a Mad Tea Party with shining silver-foil tea service (the March Hare and Mad Hatter dunk the Dormouse in a teapot); and Alice waving her arms as the Queen and her court, transformed to a "pack of cards," arch over her head like a rainbow. Those who know the story can best negotiate this wonderland, for the narrative gets a bit lost in the visual dimensions. Sabuda, who also has adapted The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, borrows from the Tenniel illustrations, but pares them down and drenches them with violet, fuschia, gold and green hues. His paper engineering snaps solidly into place, and elements like the Cheshire Cat's unfolding face are both startling and beautiful; and the pack of cards rising up into the air will have the audience studying how Sabuda created the effect of scattering and tumbling. A Jabberwocky cheer of "O frabjous day! Calloo, callay!" seems appropriate for this salute to Carroll's classic. All ages. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Marya Jansen-Gruber - Children's Literature

Alice is quietly sitting on the riverbank with her sister. Her sister is reading a book which Alice is sure must be a very dull book on account of the fact that the book has no picture or conversations. Then Alice sees a white rabbit running past. This in itself is not all that odd. What is odd it that the rabbit is talking to itself. Alice has never seen a talking rabbit. Without stopping to think Alice sets off in hot pursuit and thus begins her extraordinary adventures. Alice soon finds herself falling down a terribly long rabbit hole and from that time onwards, as Alice says, "curiouser and curiouser" things keep happening to her. Alice finds herself in situations where she keeps changes sizes; she goes for a swim in her own tears; she attends the most peculiar tea party; and a queen threatens to cut off her head (among other things). Though there are only six double page spreads in the book, each spread contains a considerable amount of Alice's bizarre story. There is one very large and highly complicated pop-up in the middle of the double page and to the side of this main pop-up there is a mini book describing Alice's adventures. Within the book more pop-ups with moving parts, and foil papers can be found. To say that this is a glamorous and remarkable book is an understatement. Just when you think that you have seen it all you discover some new surprise, some hidden piece or part. A pop-up adaptation of Lewis Carroll's original tale. 2003, Simon and Schuster, Ages 6 up.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 6-Sabuda brings Alice's world to life with breathtaking, three-dimensional images that are incredibly imaginative, intricately detailed, and perfectly executed. Carroll's text has been significantly abridged, and although some scenes are a bit choppy, the quickly paced narrative retains the flavor of the original. Sabuda's illustrations pay homage to John Tenniel's artwork, while providing a fresh look at the story and offering details that add greatly to the reading experience. The events unfold in six glorious spreads, each featuring a large pop-up and a narrow booklet that opens into several pages containing the text as well as additional pop-ups. The first scene depicts Alice and her sister on the riverbank, and the faces of several Wonderland characters are camouflaged among the background trees. A pull-up panel provides a "Victorian peep show" view of Alice falling down the rabbit hole. Throughout, shiny foils highlight items such as pots and pans, and felt adds textured detail to the Cheshire Cat and other fuzzy animals. A movable inset transforms the face of the Duchess's offspring from a baby's to a pig's. As a page is turned, a gardener raises his paintbrush and a piece of cellophane changes a white rose to red. In the final spread, a frightened Alice waves her arms beneath a delicate arch of cards. In addition to pulling off feats of paper engineering, the artist also manages to create compositions that provide an eye-pleasing balance of colors, shapes, and action. Much too delicate to circulate, libraries may still want to purchase this book for displays and just for showing off.-Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Girl falls down a rabbit hole, cries buckets, has a spot of bother about size, plays some croquet, and wakes up in time for tea. The quintessential Victorian children's classic, Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has been gloriously re-envisioned by pop-up master Sabuda. The bizarre settings and rude creatures of Wonderland burst out with every turn of the page, starting with an ingenious peep-show rabbit hole and ending with an explosion of cards. She's a familiar Alice; Sabuda, while paying homage to original illustrator Sir John Tenniel, uses vibrant colors, thick black outlines, and foil to create a work that is uniquely his. The text is abridged with most of the nonsense poetry left out; perhaps this engaging version will send a few new fans to the original. Carroll, no slouch in the paper-engineering department himself (he designed a disappearing Cheshire Cat stamp case), would be pleased. (Picture book. All ages)

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