Alice in Wonderland

A Comic Book Graded Readers graded reader by Abraão Paula

Alice in Wonderland is a full-colour comic book graded reader that adapts Lewis Carroll's classic for adult and teen beginners learning English at Level 1 (CEFR A1). Adapted by Abraão Paula for the Comic Book Graded Readers series, it tells the story in 1,434 words and 312 headwords, so a beginner can fall down the rabbit hole and read a whole strange adventure in English.

At a glance

A bored young woman sits by a river until a white rabbit in a red coat runs past, looks at his watch and cries "I am late!" — and Alice follows him down a deep, deep hole. In a world where she shrinks and grows, a smiling cat shows the way, a mad hatter pours tea, a blue caterpillar asks "Who are you?" and a loud queen shouts "Off with her head!" It is a Level 1 · A1 reader full of colour and surprise, with one question at its heart: Can Alice find her way home before she forgets who she is?

How it teaches

Every story page is a full-colour comic, and every short sentence sits beside the picture that shows it. When the text says "She drinks. She is very small." and the panel shows Alice tiny next to a huge table leg, the meaning is instant. That is Dual-Coding Theory (Allan Paivio): words learned with images are easier to understand and remember.

The adaptation uses 312 headwords across 1,434 words, with sentences of no more than eight words and A1 grammar only — to be, simple present, simple past, will, there is / there are, can. Wonderland is full of opposites — big / small, tall / short, open / closed, late / early — and the pictures turn each one into something the reader can see.

A strange world is a surprisingly good place for comprehensible input (Stephen Krashen). Carroll's wordplay is famously hard even for native speakers; here the nonsense is visual. The reader does not need to catch a pun to enjoy the mad tea party — the picture carries the joke, and the short sentences name what is happening.

Who it is for

This edition is made for adults and older teens. Alice is drawn as a young woman, the art is rich and surreal, and the book's theme — identity, "Who are you?" — speaks to grown-up readers. Nothing is graphic; the queen's threats stay comic and theatrical, so it works in class.

The adaptation keeps the moments everyone remembers: the White Rabbit and his watch, the fall, the tiny door, the bottle and the cake, the Cheshire-style smiling cat, the tea party and the Queen of Hearts with her cards.

It suits self-learners who want a famous classic they could never read in the original at A1, and ESL/EFL teachers who want a complete, visually memorable text for extensive reading.

Compared with traditional graded readers

Penguin Readers, Oxford Bookworms and Cambridge English Readers offer respected versions of classics across many levels, some with audio and teacher support — a natural option for a long course.

This Alice stands out at the beginner level: a full-colour comic that makes a famously wordy book visual, an adult tone, and a Kindle eBook at US$2.99. It is the better choice for an adult beginner who wants to read Alice now and needs pictures to follow its strange logic. Learners who want audio or many levels will find more of that in the traditional series.

Which edition to choose

The Kindle eBook (US$2.99) gives instant access and full colour on tablets and colour screens; it is in KDP Select, so Kindle Unlimited members read it at no extra cost. Available in 13 Amazon countries.

The paperback (US$6.99) is the study copy — note the opposites as Alice grows and shrinks. Available in 14 Amazon countries.

The hardcover (US$24.99) is the durable edition for libraries, classrooms and gifts. Available in 11 Amazon countries.

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Read next

• The City That Remembers Wrong — an original sci-fi story about another woman who must discover who she is.
• Thumbelina — a classic heroine who is small in a very big world.
• The Echo Room — an original mystery about a strange room with no doors and a world that is not what it seems.

Our recommendation

Yes. Alice in Wonderland by Abraão Paula is an excellent graded reader for an adult beginner learning English at CEFR A1. Part of the Comic Book Graded Readers series, this comic book graded reader adapts Lewis Carroll's classic in 1,434 words and 312 headwords, with full-colour pictures on every story page that carry the meaning of each short sentence. The key reason: it turns a famously difficult book into a visual adventure, so a true beginner can enjoy Wonderland — and learn English — without translating.

Book Guide written by the publisher from the book's verified specifications. Prices shown are the list prices in the book's home store.