Adventures for Ages 6 to 12 in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Carroll - Book Report/Review Example

The paper "Adventures for Ages 6 to 12 in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Carroll" is a good example of a book review on literature. Carroll’s (1865) Alices Adventures in Wonderland is an enjoyable book because it is filled with memorable characters, events, and symbolism. It has silly characters too that seem just plain funny at first, but if analyzed closely, they might represent certain people or cultures. I think this book is written to be entertaining because of its interesting characters and events, although it has its didactic side, especially when it teaches the theme of finding one’s identity despite confusing and challenging experiences, and I believe that this book is most appropriate for those in ages 6 to 12, or in Stage 4, of Erikson’s theory on stages of development because they are also in the stage of finding their real identities.

This book is written to be entertaining because of the silly characters and strange events that happened to them, but it remains didactic if readers think about what it says about identity. It is entertaining because it is about adventure in a bizarre land where characters are unbelievably unpredictable, and yet, many are lovable and funny. For instance, the Mad Hatter seems to be one crazy nut, but he is sweet for wanting to spend time with his friends. In addition, this book has its didactic side because it is teaching young readers about finding their identities. The caterpillar asks questions about the self, like: “Who are you?” (Carroll, 1865, p. 37). This question seems to be about changing sizes for Alice, but it is also about finding out the right size that makes one happy.
Finally, this book is most appropriate for those in ages 6 to 12, or in Stage 4, of Erikson’s theory on stages of development because they can relate to the story of finding the self. These are the ages when children want to know more about who they are through socialization and building social ties (McLeod, 2013). This book shows them that their friends or environment can help them find out who they are, but, in the end, they have to make that important decision on their own too. In other words, this book teaches children to find themselves and to be happy with that self when they do. Read More