What To Do About Alice?

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, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439922319

     2.  PLOT SUMMARY

     This picture book biography recounts the life of Alice Roosevelt, daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt. Readers learn about the personality, lifestyle, and numerous adventures had by Alice from childhood through adulthood. Alice was not limited by the social standards of the time and dedicated her time to travel, dancing, socializing, and independent study. Later in life Alice became deeply involved in politics and offered advice and suggestions to bother her father and congressman husband, Nicholas Longworth. Because of Alice Roosevelt's lively nature and strong individuality, she left a lasting impression on Washington D.C. and the United States.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Kerley provides an accurate portrayal of the life of Alice Roosevelt. Her notes at the conclusion of the book document the credible sources that supplied the direct quotes from the life of Theodore and Alice Roosevelt. In addition, Kerley's accuracy is supported by her avoidance of stereotypes or bias. Finally, accurate illustrations by Fotheringham contribute to the credibility of this book as a picture biography. He captures the transportation, clothing, and interior decorating characteristic of the time period of Alice's life.

Kerley organized the story logically from early childhood through adulthood. This sequential pattern makes it easily understood by readers of any age. As a picture book biography, reference aids such as subheadings or table of contents are not featured. This organization forces the reader to progress from cover to cover without skipping around.  

Fotheringham creates a classic design that reflects the time period of Alice Roosevelt. The colorful illustrations and attention to detail make this an inviting book. Clothing styles and transportation of the time period are accurately depicted. A variety of fonts and staggered text placement contributes to the experience of living a fast-paced lifestyle like that of Alice. Furthermore, Fotheringham frequently features dotted lines within his illustrations to show Alice's energy and excitement. This design feature may be seen as Alice falls down the stairs in her leg braces or as she runs from shelf to shelf in her father's library eagerly searching for her next topic of study. Finally, the design of this book is enhanced by an oversized format that allowed Fotheringham to capture the larger than life attitude of Alice Roosevelt.

Kerley's unique style is reflected in her humorous portrayal of actual quotes used to describe Alice Roosevelt. For example, Kerley describes Alice's attitude with these words: "Father called it 'running riot.' Alice called it 'eating up the world.'" This ability to easily coordinate actual quotes with facts from Alice's life appears to come naturally to Kerley. In addition, Kerley provides a significant amount of factual information without overwhelming the reader. Kerley's passion for telling the story of Alice's life is evident in the humor and animation she uses on nearly every page. One example of the humor Kerley embodies is heard in the quote "She was turning into a TOMBOY!" The reader can easily imagine the disdain and disappointment Alice's father must have felt when he arrives at this absurd realization. Kerley successfully captures the life of Alice Roosevelt in an interesting and energizing picture book biography.

4. PERSONAL RESPONSE: STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

I found this book to be very entertaining and enjoyable. I learned lots of interesting facts about Alice Roosevelt of which I was previously unaware. The colorful and playful illustrations also contributed to my enjoyment of this biography. A lack of access features is one weakness of this book. I feel a table of contents, page numbers, or an index would more easily allow reader's to browse this biography rather than reading it from cover to cover.

5. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

The Robert F. Sibert Honor Book- 2005

"Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was....The large format gives Fotheringham, in his debut, plenty of room for spectacular art." (Starred Review, BOOKLIST)

"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, KIRKUS)

"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."  (Starred Review, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL)

6. CONNECTIONS

*Students can create a timeline of the life of Alice Roosevelt using pictures and text.

*Students can read a biography about another presidential daughter. Students can then compare and contrast the lives of two different first daughters.

*Students can read another biography by Barbara Kerley such as THE EXTRAORDINARY MARK TWAIN (ACCORDING TO SUSY) (ISBN 0689830416)