“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
This was the page, these were the words, and I was hooked. I mean, I’d been pulled eagerly into Wonderland already, but it was that moment when I knew I would love this story forever. I was a young girl, just a little older than Alice herself, and I had recently seen the Disney adaptation at a cousin’s house. I’ve never really been into fairy tales—not knocking them or anyone who is, that just wasn’t and isn’t my thing—but the wild world, the colorful characters, the topsy-turvy-not-really-a-story way everything came together, I was enraptured. And then, I found out it was based on a book! That was something of a novelty back then, at least to little me. So, in true Elle fashion, I begged my mom to stop at the library on the way home. Then I searched the aisles and shelves for Carroll’s name, grabbed a copy of the twisting tale and, fell head first down the rabbit hole.
