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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland facts for kids

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Alice's Adventures
in Wonderland
AlicesAdventuresInWonderlandTitlePage.jpg
Title page of the original edition (1865)
Author Lewis Carroll
Illustrator John Tenniel
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Genre Children's literature
Publisher Macmillan Publishers
Publication date
26 November 1865
Followed by Through the Looking-Glass 
Alice par John Tenniel 25
Alice at the Mad Hatter's tea party, by John Tenniel
Alice Liddell
The real Alice Liddell, photographed by Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a famous children's novel. Most people just call it Alice in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll wrote this book. That was his special writing name. His real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.

John Tenniel drew all 42 pictures in the book. Macmillan Publishers released the book in London. It came out on November 26, 1865. Many movies and shows have been made from this story.

Characters

In Alice in Wonderland, you'll meet many unique characters:

  • Alice: She is the main character. She falls into a magical world.
  • The White Rabbit: He is always in a hurry. Alice follows him down a rabbit hole.
  • The Dodo: This bird is not very smart.
  • The Caterpillar: He is very old and wise. He gives Alice advice.
  • The Duchess: She is a grumpy character.
  • Her Cook: The cook uses a lot of pepper!
  • The Cheshire Cat: This grinning cat can disappear. He helps Alice find her way.
  • The Mad Hatter: He loves tea parties. He is quite funny and a bit crazy.
  • The March Hare: He is a friend of the Mad Hatter. They always have tea.
  • The Dormouse: He often falls asleep at the tea party.
  • The King of Hearts: He is the Queen's husband.
  • The Queen of Hearts: She is a very bossy queen. She loves to shout "Off with their heads!"
  • The Knave of Hearts: He is accused of stealing tarts.
  • The Mock Turtle: He is a sad creature.
  • Dinah: This is Alice's pet cat.

Story

The story begins with Alice. She is sitting by a lake with her sister. Suddenly, a White Rabbit runs past. He is wearing a waistcoat and checking his watch! Alice is very curious. She decides to follow him.

She tumbles down a rabbit hole. This leads her to a strange underground world. There, she has many amazing adventures. She meets lots of unusual characters. Alice often changes size. She grows very large or shrinks very small. This happens when she eats special cakes or mushrooms.

Eventually, Alice finds a beautiful garden. Here, a trial is happening. The Knave of Hearts is on trial. He is accused of stealing tarts. Alice thinks the trial is silly. She says so out loud. Everyone gets upset and a big fuss starts. Then, Alice suddenly wakes up. She is back with her sister by the lake. It was all a dream!

Background

Alice Liddell with sisters
Edith, Lorina, and Alice Liddell in 1859 (photographed by Dodgson)

The idea for this story came from a summer boat trip. Charles Dodgson told the tale to three young girls. One of them was named Alice Liddell. Alice loved the story so much. She asked Dodgson to write it down for her. Dodgson agreed to do it. It took him two years to finish.

The first version of the story was called Alice's Adventures Under Ground. When Dodgson got it ready to publish, he added more parts. He included the famous Mad Hatter's Tea Party. He also added new characters like the Cheshire Cat. He then changed the title to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

The story became very popular. So, Dodgson wrote another book. He used his pen name, Lewis Carroll. The second book was called Through the Looking-Glass. The Alice stories are still loved today. You can find them in music, movies, and plays.

LewisCarrollSelfPhoto
Dodgson in 1855

Adaptations

Alice in Wonderland has been made into many movies and TV shows. Here are a few examples:

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Las aventuras de Alicia en el país de las maravillas para niños

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