Alice was getting really bored sitting by her sister under the trees. Her sister was reading a book with no pictures or talks in it, and Alice thought, “What’s the point of a book without pictures or conversations?” It was a hot day, making her feel sleepy. Suddenly, a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran by, saying, “Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!” It even pulled a watch from its pocket. Alice had never seen a rabbit with a pocket or watch before, so she jumped up and chased it across the field.
The Rabbit dove into a large hole, and Alice followed without thinking. The hole went straight down like a tunnel, and she fell slowly, with time to look around. She saw cupboards and bookshelves on the walls, even grabbed a jar from one, but it was empty. “After this fall,” she thought, “I won’t be scared of tumbling down stairs at home!” Down she went, wondering if she’d reach the center of the earth, maybe four thousand miles deep.
Finally, she landed softly on a pile of leaves. The Rabbit was hurrying away, muttering about being late. Alice followed into a long hall with doors all around, but they were locked. On a glass table sat a tiny gold key. She tried it on the doors, but it only fit a small one hidden behind a curtain, leading to a beautiful garden. Too big to fit through, Alice went back and found a bottle labeled “DRINK ME.” It tasted like cherry tart and pineapple. Soon, she shrank to ten inches tall.
Excited, she ran to the door but forgot the key on the table. Now too small to reach it, she spotted a cake saying “EAT ME.” She nibbled, and shot up taller than before, her head hitting the ceiling. Crying in frustration, her tears formed a pool. Then she shrank again after fanning herself with the Rabbit’s fan. Tiny now, she fell into her own tear pool and swam, meeting a Mouse. “Do you know the way out?” she asked. The Mouse didn’t like her mentioning cats, but they swam to shore with other animals.
On land, a Dodo suggested a race to dry off. Everyone won prizes. Later, the Rabbit mistook Alice for his maid and sent her to his house for gloves and a fan. There, she drank another bottle and grew huge, her arms sticking out the windows. The Rabbit called for help, but Alice ate a cake and shrank, escaping into the woods.
She met a Caterpillar on a mushroom, smoking a hookah. “Who are you?” it asked. Alice explained her size changes. It advised, “One side of the mushroom makes you taller, the other shorter.” She nibbled carefully, adjusting to normal size, then headed to a house.
Inside was chaos: a Duchess nursing a sneezing baby, a cook throwing pots, and a grinning Cheshire Cat. “Why does your cat grin?” Alice asked. “It’s a Cheshire Cat,” said the Duchess, handing her the baby before leaving for croquet. Outside, the baby turned into a pig and trotted off. The Cat appeared in a tree. “Which way?” Alice asked. It pointed to the Hatter and March Hare, saying, “We’re all mad here.” The Cat vanished slowly, leaving its grin last.
At the March Hare’s, a mad tea-party was underway with the Hatter and sleeping Dormouse. “No room!” they cried, though the table was big. They riddled, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” Time was stuck at tea-time, so they moved seats endlessly. Frustrated, Alice left, finding a tree door back to the hall. She used the mushroom to shrink, unlocked the garden door, and entered.
In the garden, gardeners painted white roses red for the Queen. A procession arrived: cards, Kings, Queens, and the furious Queen of Hearts. “Off with their heads!” she yelled at the gardeners. The croquet game used flamingos as mallets, hedgehogs as balls, and soldiers as hoops. It was impossible; everything moved. The Queen shouted executions constantly. The Cheshire Cat appeared headless, causing more arguments. Alice suggested fetching the Duchess, but the Cat vanished.
The game ended with arrests. The Queen took Alice to meet the Mock Turtle and Gryphon by the sea. They danced the Lobster Quadrille and told stories, but a cry announced the trial.
At court, the Knave was accused of stealing the Queen’s tarts. Witnesses like the Hatter babbled nonsense. Alice grew larger again. Called as witness, she said she knew nothing. The Queen ordered her out, but Alice argued. A confusing letter was read as evidence. “Nonsense!” Alice shouted. “Off with her head!” screamed the Queen. But Alice yelled back, “You’re just a pack of cards!” They flew at her, and she woke up.