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Alice in Wonderland
by Paul Buchheit
15 chapters ~ 25 color illustrations ~ 58 pages Price: $17.60
Publisher: Kelsay
ISBN: 978-1-63980-183-1
To Order: Amazon
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The classic story Alice in Wonderland is presented in a modern version, with unique patterns of rhythm and rhyme that should make it appealing to both children and parents. The translation remains faithful to the original work except for the updating of archaic language and references.
ADVANCE PRAISE:
Poet Paul Buchheit has infused new life into this classic tale, reminding us why we loved it as children and helping us share it with a new generation. Without altering the narrative voice or the madcap shenanigans that befall Alice while down the rabbit hole, Buchheit uses delightful contemporary language and playful sound devices to keep readers captivated. From the White Rabbit’s “most unbunnywise display” at the start to Alice’s commentary on the “cranky Queen” and “dimwit King” near the end, this narrative poem bounces through each well-known passage. We see Alice wanting to “squish” inside a keyhole; later, after witnessing the chaos of the Duchess’ kitchen, Alice is "hoping to find / a group of people less destructively inclined.” Gorgeous drawings by artist Manahil Khan add to the book’s page-turning appeal.
–Kate Hutchinson, author of Map Making: Poems of Land and Identity and A Matter of Dark Matter.
Poet Paul Buchheit has succeeded in condensing Lewis Carroll’s novel, Alice in Wonderland, while turning it into rhyming couplets. Amazingly, the rhymes are not distracting, and the book reads smoothly. I recommend this as a book to be read aloud by a parent to their children, or by a child to his or her parents. There is some vocabulary that will be new to younger children, but the context will help them figure it out or the parent to explain it. The illustrations add enjoyment to the story.
–Wilda Morris, a widely published poet, is Workshop Chair for Poets and Patrons of Chicago. Her latest book is Pequod Poems: Gamming with Moby-Dick.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Paul is an author of books, poems, progressive essays, and scientific journal articles. He recently completed his first historical novel, 1871: Rivers on Fire. His poetry has appeared in The Lyric, Illinois State Poetry Society, Poets & Patrons of Chicagoland, Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest, The Journal of Formal Poetry, Society of Classical Poets, Lucid Rhythms, Burningword, The Ledge, The Formalist, State of Nature, Chicago Poetry Review, Light Quarterly, and other publications. His most recent non-fiction book was Disposable Americans, published in 2017 by Routledge.
FROM THE BOOK:
1. Alice Encounters a White Rabbit
by Paul Buchheit
How bored was Alice! Sitting by the riverside,
with nothing much to do, her sister occupied
beside her with a book, a dullish exercise
without a single page of art to please the eyes,
and what’s the use of that? So, feeling half-asleep
on such a steamy day, she thought of ways to keep
alert, like picking daisies, but the energy
consumed would bring to mind the fine reality
of being lazy. As she rested, though, a white
and wide-eyed rabbit hurried by, a pleasant sight
but unremarkable enough on normal days,
yet now there came about a matter to amaze
a little girl in any mood: the rabbit talked!
“Oh dear, oh dear, I shall be late!” he said, and walked
as he was muttering. To Alice’s surprise
he had a coat, and in a most unbunnywise
display he pulled a pocket watch to check the time.
Now Alice was befuddled, finding little rhyme
or reason for a rabbit in a human’s pose,
and she was mesmerized so fully that she chose
to be impulsive when a rabbit hole appeared
and she went tumbling down, no consequences feared.
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