Mrs. White Rabbit - Hardcover

Bachelet, Gilles

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0802854834 ISBN 13: 9780802854834

Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2017

Synopsis

A hilarious twist on a classic tale

Alice in Wonderland is one of the great classics of children's literature, but what does anyone actually know about Wonderland? Through the diary of the White Rabbit's extremely busy wife, readers finally get to see what happens in the background during Alice's adventures.

Mrs. White Rabbit loves her husband and their many children, but with an invisible housecat from Cheshire and a young female visitor who frequently changes size, living in Wonderland comes with a number of challenges.

With an abundance of wit and charm, Mrs. White Rabbit gives Lewis Carroll's famous tale a refreshingly modern twist.

About this title

About the Author

Gilles Bachelet was born in northern France. He has been creating picture books since 2002 and currently works as a freelance illustrator in Paris. His previous books include My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World and When the Silliest Cat Was Small (both Abrams). Gilles was inspired to write Mrs. White Rabbit after forgetting his girlfriend's birthday.

Reviews

Gr 1–4—It seems wholly appropriate that a picture book based on a character from the odd world of Lewis Carroll's Alice would be mighty curious itself. Written in the form of a diary by the wife of the White Rabbit, who is always late—as it turns out, for some pretty sordid reasons—the story relays the trials and tribulations of Mrs. Rabbit's days. In very adult and sophisticated language, she tells of her utter unhappiness with her life in a household that includes a teenage daughter who appears to border on anorexic in her efforts to become a bunny model, twin boys who play marbles with their own scat, and a young lad who is precociously interested in girls. The jokes are largely adult: for example, the White Rabbit is a drunkard who needs to be fetched from the palace in a wheelbarrow. The illustrations are fantastic, with incredible detail, but much of the humor will be appreciated only by those who know the Alice stories. Readers who haven't been previously exposed to the tales will likely be confused and put off by the dolorous tone of the text. VERDICT Bachelet is undoubtedly an incredibly talented and funny illustrator, but the palpable anger of Mrs. White Rabbit and the many specific references to Alice's world may bewilder young readers. Older readers familiar with Wonderland will likely find the book most amusing and enjoy the intricate, colorful illustrations.—B. Allison Gray, Goleta Public Library, CA

Edition details

• Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0802854834
• ISBN 13: 9780802854834
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32