From: Sheila Welch <sheilawelch>
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2000 14:29:42 -0500

Hello!

I'd hoped to get back on here with lots of details about my reading of Alice in Wonderland to my granddaughter, but the month is fast slipping away. And an unexpected trip has come up. So I'll just make a few more quick comments- Jazmyn, too was fascinated by the mouse's tail/tale. In fact, it was one of the things she looked for before deciding on which book she wanted to hear. She has enjoyed the chapters we've read so far, and I'm surprised at how many of the puns she gets. She chuckles at various parts. She has a cat herself, so she especially enjoys Alice's references to Dinah. Of course, at age eight Jazmyn misses a good deal, and I do, too! The edition illustrated by Moser has some good notes, which I've used to help us with some of the poems, etc.

Yes, I was incorrect about the illustration I thought Carroll had done. It is by Tenniel, but I think Alice's face is much more appealing than in many of his other illustrations of her.

I don't have time now to look back and check on other's comments, but it seems to me another thread to this discussion concerned the romantic ideal of childhood. (I think this was mentioned in reference to Alice's sister's thoughts at the end of the book.) This reminds me of P.L. Travers' characters' attitudes in several of the stories in the Mary Poppins books, the last chapter of Milne's House at Pooh Corner, and the sentiments expressed in Peter Pan. Just a thought.

Got to go-- This has been fun! Thanks! Sheila
Received on Wed 25 Oct 2000 02:29:42 PM CDT