For children?

Since their publication, many readers have found material in Carroll's book unsuitable for children. Which parts of the Alice books, if any, do you think are unfit, or even harmful, to children today.

I think they are unfit, but for a totally different reason. After I read the book, I read the introduction by Arthur Prager. In it he said, "The only people he got along with were children, and his dearest friends were under the age of ten. In their company he lost his painful stammer and created and participated in wonderful and fascinating games. Children adored him. Their parents thought him peculiar and kept a close eye on him." I found this quite disturbing. It could just be Mr. Pragers view on "Lewis Carroll"
-Stampin_Maniac

Alice eating or drinking things that she did not know anything about...whether they were safe or not...was not good. The Caterpillar with it's hookah (smoking pot, I assume) was not a good example. The Duchess shaking the "baby" violently enough that Alice was afraid for its' safety. The queen always shouting "off with his head"! Not the best things for kids and maybe a little frightening.
-Bookworm

As for the fact that he was close to kids that could be creepy or not creepy. If he was like Michael Jackson then yes, scary. If you've seen Finding Neverland and how it showed what he was like while writing Peter Pan, he was just a really imaginative, childlike person but there were people that thought he was creepy. I can understand liking kids better than adults. They are innocent. They tell it like it is. They are fun. They are forgiving. They are curious. THey are imaginative. They are lively. ETC......
I think that there are some inappropriate things like the caterpillar, the duchess, the slight violence but these can also be good ways to start a dialogue with your child about those kind of things.
-Annegirl

Not being a parent, my view may be a little more liberal then if I did...but I don't think children would equate some of the inappropriate things with the story itself. An as Anne Girl said you can talk to you children about the things you do feel are inappropriate.
-Wendy

I think that one would have to rather look at "Alice" as an adventure with your kids in reading rather that try to look for just the "weird" things in the book. If one stops to think about it, I really thought the crazy things in it like the Mad Hatter tea party were pretty funny in the Disney animated feature when I was a kid and even as a grown-up. I guess Karen and I just have to get away from the "adult" way of looking at the story and fine the "child within"!!?!
-Bookworm

Some people consider "Huckleberry Finn" inappropriate for children or adults and yet it is a "classic" book. I read it in high school and found it an interesting read. I think different people could find anything wrong with a book - remember some of the Christian groups with the Harry Potter books. I will definitely either read or let Rachel read "Alice in Wonderland". Sometimes just stopping and remembering the time periods it was written in or what group of people the author is trying to reach with the book helps in understanding it.
-Deenie Bug

I agree that people will always be able to find something inappropriate whether it is there or not. I love the Harry Potter books and I will be reading those to Abi when I think she is old enough to enjoy and get them. I think that is why it is important to be completely involved in whatever your children like- to read the books they want to read, see the shows they want to see... so you can make the decision for yourself and your children.
-Annegirl

I think a kid would just read it as a book of fantasy. As a d u l t s, we are looking into it a little more, trying to see what the characters might really represent... But maybe he did just write it as a fantasy for kids. In the book that I checked out from the library, there was also an Easter letter from the author to the children... Did anyone else's book have that? I thought it was really sweet, and it made me think he couldn't have been a real creepy guy.
-Sanya the Duck