Alice Who Are YOU?

What makes a good bedtime story? Something that involves people, places and possibly situations that we would not normally encounter. To encourage children to envision things beyond their own experiences. To spark imagination.

Children listen to stories, but more importantly they learn how to use words and story telling to express themselves. For me, picking a bedtime story will have the hero overcoming some kind of adversity. Isn’t that what we want after-all? To never give up on a dream.

Down the Rabbit Hole - Risk Has Rewards

After a tumble down the rabbit hole, Alice who falls asleep in a meadow and then finds herself far away from home in quite a strange land…. Wonderland. Lewis Carroll’s classic is a must read for action, storytelling, and the unlikely hero overcoming adversity (and getting to keep her head and sanity).

“But it’s no use now,” thought poor Alice, “to pretend to be two people! Why, there’s hardly enough of me left to make one respectable person!”

Alice runs away in her dream land from the Victorian world of her sister because she feels unfulfilled, but will soon quickly discover that Wonderland will not fulfill her either. Alice follows the rabbit down who is constantly one step ahead of her. Led on by curiosity, she follows him, not exactly sure what she will do once she catches him.

“Curiouser and curiouser!” cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English).

Caucus Race - Wandering Doesn't Mean Your Lost

After changing sizes, to try to fit into Wonderland, she now sees a group of animals who settle their disagreement with the dodo’s suggestion of a caucus race. What is a random happening of events, the animals all get dry and leads Alice to be more confused as to the logic of this new place? Sometimes this random race feels like “adulting” where we are seemingly forced into roles and run from one task to the next that has lost its meaning.

Advice from the Caterpillar - Discover Who You Are

Alice also gets advice from the Caterpillar that sits on top of a mushroom. For someone that sits three inches tall, he provokes her to think about who see really is with a simple “Who are you?” Change is not necessarily a bag thing, and in fact, change can even turn into something beautiful. We see the caterpillar regardless of how frustrated or angry he was, turn into a butterfly.

“Who are you?” said the Caterpillar.

This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, “I—I hardly know, Sir, just at present—at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.”

“What do you mean by that?” said the Caterpillar, sternly. “Explain yourself!”

“I can’t explain myself, I’m afraid, Sir,” said Alice, “because I am not myself, you see.”

Cheshire Cat - Accept The Differences of Others

The Cheshire Cat has to be one of the most loved characters in the story. He vanishes and reappears before fading to nothing but a grin again. Trying to find direction in this illogical Wonderland, he is really no direct help, but tells her no matter where she goes, she will end up somewhere. A born troublemaker, he sends her to the Mad Hatter

“Alice asked the Cheshire Cat, who was sitting in a tree, “What road do I take?”

The cat asked, “Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t know,” Alice answered.

“Then,” said the cat, “it really doesn’t matter, does it?”

A Mad Tea Party - My Reality is Different Than Yours

Approaching a long table set under a tree, the March Hare and the Mad Hatter are having a tea party. (Not sure if I should add the sleeping dormouse?) With riddles that have no logical answer (Why is a raven like a writing desk?) In the end, tea, and un-birthday cake do yield a moral. What Alice means and meaning what she says are not the same thing all the time. Alice can’t take any more tea and leaves for the Queen’s Croquet Ground.

Painting the Roses Red - Stop Wasting Your Own Time

Alice enters the beautiful garden through the door in the hallway. Gardeners in the shape of playing cards all tend to the Queen’s Garden. However, their mistake of planting the wrong roses have them painting them red now. Oh No! They might lose their heads. What an absurd concept, but they are wasting their own time by always making someone else happy.

Croquet Game - When Games Aren't Fun and Really Just Power Struggles

The Queen is definitely the villain of the story. She rules over Wonderland and is a tyrant. She likes to play croquet with live flamingoes and hedgehogs as mallets and balls. Winning is only on her terms. Unfortunately, the fate of world leaders. Alice agrees to play so she can continue to attempt to figure out Wonderland.

“How do you like the Queen?” said the Cat in a low voice.

“Not at all,” said Alice: “she’s so extremely—” Just then she noticed that the Queen was close behind her, listening: so she went on “—likely to win, that it’s hardly worth while finishing the game.”

Escape from Wonderland - Stand Up For Yourself

Well, that didn’t go so well for Alice. The Queen of Hearts has her own idea of how trials should be conducted. Absurdity continues but our hero, Alice escapes.

We are taken back to the calm scene at the riverbank leaving Alice with quite a strange tale to tell.

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