BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kerley, Barbara. 2008. WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE?. Ill. By Edwin Fotheringham. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439922313
PLOT SUMMARY
What could keep a man like Teddy Roosevelt on his toes? Not war. Not running a state. Not even running a nation. But being a father to a spirited daughter- yes! Aside from being President Roosevelt’s daughter, Alice Roosevelt was also vibrant, bright, and inspiring. In this entertaining biography, we follow young Alice as she begins to “eat up the world.” We travel with her through her unique education, travels abroad, fame and celebrity status as First Daughter, and right on through the rest of her life.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Kerley has done what I thought was impossible. She has taken the facts known about Alice Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt’s oldest daughter, and put them together to create a fascinating story that held me,and my one year old daughter, spellbound from beginning to end.
The element of the book that I found to be the most compelling was that it focused on Alice’s personality and goals. The story is about Alice as a human being, not Alice a president’s daughter, or Alice somebody’s wife. From the very beginning of the story, Alice “ate up the world” and never stopped. I love more than words can express how much children need examples like Alice Roosevelt in their young lives.
The humor that Kerley writes with is such a refreshing style in the nonfiction genre that I found myself rereading just to make sure that this really was based on fact, and it is. The facts and details are accounted for in the back of the book where the sources are cited and first hand accounts documented.
The illustrations in this novel are absolutely fantastic. They are beautiful, bright, and vivid full page color illustrations that draw the eye and hold the attention of even a small child. They also add an extra layer of hilarity to the humorous story. For example, when the text mentions that “Theodore Roosevelt had a small problem,” it shows the president with his eyes rolled up, wiping his head with a handkerchief. I first read this book via audiobook without the illustrations, so when I read it with the illustrations, I cracked up, realizing how important the illustrations are to this selection (if you want to laugh, which I usually do!).
The audiobook is also a fantastic addition. It was performed by Katherine Kellgren, and she uses the instrument of her voice to show the humor of the situation on each and every page.
AWARDS AND REVIEWS
-Sibert Honor Book
-Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
-Irma Black Award Honor Book
-Parents Choice Award
-Plus more…
-Starred Review, Kirkus: Theodore Roosevelt’s irrepressible oldest child receives an appropriately vivacious appreciation in this superb picture book.... Kerley’s precise text presents readers with a devilishly smart, strong-willed girl who was determined to live life on her own terms—and largely succeeded.
-Starred Review, School Library Journal: Kerley’s text gallops along with a vitality to match her subject’s antics, as the girl greets White House visitors accompanied by her pet snake, refuses to let leg braces cramp her style, dives fully clothed into a ship’s swimming pool, and also earns her place in history as one of her father’s trusted advisers. Fotheringham’s digitally rendered, retro-style illustrations are a superb match for the text
CONNECTIONS
· Have students ask themselves what “eating up the world” means. Then they can make a list of what it would look like in their lives to “eat up the world.”
· Learn about life in the White House and what it was like for other first children.
· Students could choose one of Alice’s siblings and research them.
- Have students look up the color “Alice blue” and decide why that was the color named for Alice. Then, have students decide which color they would like to have named after them and why.
-Writing assignment: Does Alice remind you of anybody you know? Explain who and why.
Photos taken from www.Amazon.com
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