Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Story

One hot afternoon Alice is daydreaming on the riverbank. When a white rabbit in a waistcoat hurries by, checking his pocket watch and tutting about the time, she follows, and tumbles down a rabbit hole into a topsy-turvy world where there are no rules, and it’s always teatime.

Why we chose it

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is one of the most famous and influential children’s books ever written. 150 years on, it is still enjoyed for its playfulness and invention. Author Philip Pullman describes the Alice stories as so good, funny and original that they ‘are the fountain from which all other children’s literature comes’.

The vivid characters are so familiar that they are part of popular culture - the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, Queen of Hearts, and Alice, a curious and determined young girl.

Where it came from

On 4 July 1862, Charles Dodgson, a mathematics don at Oxford University, took ten-year-old Alice Liddell and her sisters on a rowing boat up the River Thames. To entertain the children, he made up a story about a little girl who falls into Wonderland and has a many strange adventures. It so delighted Alice that she begged him to write it down. The resulting book was published in 1865 under the pen name Lewis Carroll, with illustrations by the political cartoonist John Tenniel.

Where it went next

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has been popular ever since, translated into nearly 100 languages. It has inspired illustrators and artists, philosophers and scientists, and been adapted many times for stage, film and radio, board and video games and theme park rides. Since 2007 Oxford has marked the first telling of this much-loved tale with a city-wide celebration each July, co-ordinated by The Story Museum.

Associated stories

Alice had further adventures in Through the Looking Glass, published in 1871. Film versions often include elements and events from both stories. In 2019 the anthology Return to Wonderland brought together a number of leading children's authors who wrote short stories set in Wonderland.

In the museum

Find Alice in the Enchanted Library and in the City of Stories.

Look for the photograph of Francesca Simon and Steven Butler dressed as the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter.

In our programme

For Alice's Day 2020 authors Piers Torday and Amy Wilson set Wonderland Creative Writing Challenges. Have a go at them yourself - watch the videos below.