INTERESTED in unusual books for the tail end of the summer season? I can recommend the Alice in Wonderland Jigsaw Book. Ostensibly for children, this highly original book is as much fun for adults -- something to which my small niece and I can attest. This beautifully presented hardback features illustrated excerpts from the original Lewis Carroll story and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass. One illustration from each excerpt is enlarged and made into a 48-piece jigsaw puzzle, giving a total of seven puzzles in the book. Sensibly, each puzzle is colour-coded on the reverse, to avoid the pieces being mixed.

Even if the child you share this book with is not familiar with the stories -- and the temptation not to share the book is quite strong -- they will be sure to recognise Humpty Dumpty, leaving room for a further introduction to Carroll's delightful world of nonsense. To satisfy the purist, the pictures come from the 1911 edition of Alice, illustrated by Harry Theaker. Completing the flavour of Wonderland, there is a small selection of Carroll's poems on the inside back cover of the book -- an often-forgotten aspect of his work. This is simply gorgeous book. I can imagine fond grannies and aunties bringing the book out whenever a small visitor comes to play -- it is the stuff of childhood memories.