Sparkle Valley and Alice in Wonderland
Updated: Oct 4
How two worlds treat imagination—and what happens when we grow up
I remember years ago running through the Christ Church meadows at Oxford where Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) wrote Alice in Wonderland.
I never thought about the book (or any books for that matter) while I was creating Sparkle Valley, but looking back now, this meadow, with the Isis River nearby, that Carroll turned into a magical wonderland, certainly has similarities to to the Magic Garden and Sparkle Valley.
She falls
Both books start off with the girl who falls. Alice falls down the rabbit hole. And she falls into this world where everything is just a little bit off:
Cats that speak in riddles.
Tea parties that never end (So true.)
Nothing makes sense—and yet it kind of does because it is based on logic (but that logic is messed with). And it’s all intentional.
Sparkle Valley: Abigail also falls—over a waterfall—and she ends up in a place with: talking tortoises, forgotten toys, a river that runs the wrong way, a frog who thinks he's a prince, a troll who lives in a school bus.
All symbols of Emily’s emotions. So when she forgets, the world fades, and when she remembers, it stabilizes.
The Worlds
Alice’s Wonderland is external—a funhouse version of reality— and she’s just trying to keep up.
But Sparkle Valley is internal—a world reacting to Emily—and Abigail’s trying to keep up.
In short, Alice visits her world, but Abigail lives in hers.
The Stakes
Alice’s stakes are temporary. She wakes up and it’s over.
But in Sparkle Valley. it’s literally about survival. If Emily stops believing, no more world.
Where they end up
There are surface similarities, but the stories don’t end up in the same place. Sparkle Valley (i.e. imagination) doesn’t stop when you wake up.
Even if the lights are out, it’s still there, with Abigail fighting to hold it together.
