Review: WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE?: HOW ALICE ROOSEVELT BROKE THE RULES, CHARMED THE WORLD, AND DROVE HER FATHER TEDDY CRAZY! by Barbara Kerley

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kerley, Barbara. 2008. What to do about Alice? : How Alice Roosevelt broke the rules, charmed the world, and drove her father Teddy crazy! Ill. by Edwin Fotheringham. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0-439-92231-3

2. PLOT SUMMARY

“Theodore Roosevelt had a small problem.” With these words, Barbara Kerley introduces the reader to Alice Lee Roosevelt, the oldest daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt. Alice’s voracious appetite for life is captured in this book and characterized by Kerley’s statement that Alice “ate up the world.” As a child, Alice rode her bicycle, roamed the streets of Washington, and even joined an all-boys club, (until her father found out). Alice was 17 when her father became president, and continued to flout the rules of social conventions by riding a bike, driving her own runabout, betting on horse races and two-stepping until the wee hours of the morning.

Despite this, she also became one of Theodore Roosevelt’s most trusted advisors and represented him as a goodwill ambassador in Cuba, Puerto Rico, China and many other countries. Alice married a congressman, and continued to be active in the political activities of Washington for the remainder of her life, eventually becoming known as “the other Washington Monument.”

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS   

This picture book biography is made up of both single and double-paged spreads depicting the life of Alice Roosevelt.  With fast-moving and humorous text, Kerley presents Alice Lee Roosevelt as a lively and adventurous character and provides readers with a fascinating glimpse of life in the White House. Edwin Fotheringham captures her vivacious personality in his illustrations which depict Alice racing through the pages of the book with a large spoon in one hand, peering around the column at the front of the White House with her pet snake twined around her arm, and jumping fully clothed onto a ship’s swimming pool. Dotted lines bounce from one point to another on the pages, and follow Alice, adding to the feeling of her rushing through life.

The book includes a 2-page Author’s note which contains background information about Alice Roosevelt’s life, quotes from both Alice and her father, and bibliographic sources used. All of these things make this an entertaining and fast-moving book, bound to interest the 7 to 11 year old children for whom it was written.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

2002 SIBERT HONOR BOOK

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review: “This book provides a fascinating glimpse into both a bygone era and one of its more interesting denizens as well as a surefire antidote for any child who thinks that historical figures are boring.”

PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY review: Kids will embrace a heroine who teaches her younger stepsiblings to sled down the White House stairs ("Alice tried to be helpful," Kerley writes soberly as Fotheringham shows her in action), entertains dignitaries with her pet snake and captivates a nation with pranks and high jinks.

BOOKLIST STARRED review: “Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was”.

5. CONNECTIONS

Provide access to other biographies, (whether in books or on the internet), about president’s children, and invite students to write reports or create power point presentations about them. Students could write a more personal composition about what they think it would be like to be the child of the President of the United States.

Other biographies by Barbara Kerley:

Kerley, Barbara. Walt Whitman: Words for America. ISBN 0439357918

Kerley, Barbara. The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Suzy). ISBN 0545125081

Kerley, Barbara. The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins. ISBN 0439114950