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| One of the many thousands of editions |
The 4th of July is right around the corner -- Independence Day, one of the most important days in our calendar here in the US. But the date is important for another reason, too. July 4, 1862, is traditionally remembered as the day Charles Dodgson (aka, Lewis Carroll) first began telling his tale of Wonderland to the ten-year-old Alice Liddell, as they were rowing (along with her two sisters and the Reverend Robinson Duckworth) on the Thames near Oxford. A fateful day, indeed.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its companion book, Through the Looking-Glass, were my favorite books when I was a child; and I still love them and still re-read them from time to time. And since this is a commemorative year (the first Alice book was published 150 years ago, in 1865), I thought I'd use an Alice quote for my teaser this week. This snippet is from Chapter VI ("Pig and Pepper") -- Alice has been holding the Duchess's crying baby, but notices that it seems to be turning into a pig (yes, an actual pig -- that sort of thing happens a lot in Wonderland):
So she set the little creature down, and felt quite relieved to see it trot away quietly into the wood. 'If it had grown up,' she said to herself, 'it would have made a dreadfully ugly child: but it makes rather a handsome pig, I think.' And she began thinking over other children she knew, who might do very well as pigs, and was just saying to herself, 'if one only knew the right way to change them—' when she was a little startled by seeing the Cheshire Cat sitting on a bough of a tree a few yards off.The Alice books are true classics that appeal to both young and older readers, and so much literature and art references them. If you haven't read them, you're really missing something.
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| Alice with pig baby. Drawing by John Tenniel. |
Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm. If you'd like to read more teasers, or take part yourself, just head on over to her blog.
And please feel free to leave me a link to your Teaser Tuesday post in your comment here.
I loved this book, and Through the Looking Glass, as a child...and a few years ago, right after I started blogging, I entered a challenge to read these books and all the books "connected' to the Alice books, one of which was Melanie Benjamin's book, Alice I Have Been.
ReplyDeleteFor my reread, I checked the books out of the library, but sadly, none of them had the beautiful illustrations I remembered from my childhood. Yours looks like it does...and what a great cover!
Thanks for the walk down memory lane...LOL. Here's mine: “CATCHING AIR”
Oh you taught me something new today! Thank you!
ReplyDeletetrish - my teaser
It's been years since I read this book. Time for a re-read!
ReplyDeleteMy Tuesday post features SERENA.
I have never read the books and admit I never had much of an interest in doing so until recently.
ReplyDeleteI didn't read them as a child but I did read Alice in Wonderland to Bri when she was little -- well, I tried to but she only got so far with it.
ReplyDeleteReally? I'm surprised I never assigned them to you when we played school!
DeleteA wonderful classic!
ReplyDelete