Kerley, Barbara. 2008. WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE?. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 9780439922319
2. Plot Summary
In this biographical picture book, Barbara Kerley paints a picture of a young Alice Roosevelt, daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, and how her exploits and antics leave her father often frustrated and wondering, "What to do about Alice?" The story begins with a small journey of Theodore Roosevelt's conquests and accomplishments, leading up to the reasons why he has issues with Alice's "running riots." The president becomes concerned about Alice "eating up the world," especially as she becomes older and the reflection it will have on him as a leader and as a father. Besides being a dreamer and a socialite, Alice was a lover of knowledge and read as much as she could. The story leads the reader through Alice's adventures up until right after she marries a congressman. Even after marrying the congressman, Alice still had the drive to entertain, to travel, to learn, and to live life to the fullest.
3. Critical Analysis
Barbara Kerley's biographical picture book of Theodore Roosevelt's eldest daughter, Alice, is a story of light-hearted adventurousness. The reader learns on the first few pages of how Alice lost her mother as an infant which probably led to her desiring to "eat up the world." While the sources at the back of the book indicate research well done and many accuracies, older readers may want to delve deeper into the Roosevelt's and Alice's stories. They will find a much darker story of Alice and the disapproval she felt from her family and the after-math of that as she grew older. This story is suited for young audiences but would be an excellent book to share with older/teenage children in order to discuss how stories change as we grow older.
Since this book is organized as a children's book, it is meant to be read from cover to cover. It is organized from Alice's young childhood to early adulthood. There is a bit more of information at the very back of the book under the "Author's Note" and a small article entitled, "The Other Washington Monument." This will give readers a more expository version of the author's story. The text is organized in interesting ways, laid out to fit the illustrations, not the other way around. Many times, the picture is larger than the font, keeping the reader's interest all the way through. The writer's style manages to include factual information while maintaining a lightness in the writing, adding fun tips here and there, such as Alice's love for quick meals of scrambled eggs, in order to keeping drawing the young reader in.
Edwin Fotheringham's drawings replicate the words on the pages bringing them to life. The front cover depicts a young Alice Roosevelt on a bicycle with her feet off of the pedals. Even though the clothing looks older, children will be drawn to the book because most of them have tried this bicycle trick. While the illustrator maintains a cartoon-like quality in his drawings using vivid colors and wispy lines and proportions, he maintains the authenticity of the time period (the early 1900s) and the known physical traits of the characters, such as Alice's grey-blue eyes and ringlets as a child and Theodore Roosevelt's glasses and rotund shape. The illustrator also captures Alice's vivid imagination and whimsical adventures through his portrayal of backgrounds, facial expressions, and vignettes.
4. Review Excerpts and Notable Awards/Honors:
BOOKLIST STARRED REVIEW: "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."
KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW:"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."
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL STARRED REVIEW: "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."
Winner of/Honored by:
*Sibert Honor Book
*Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
*Irma Black Award Honor Book
*Parents Choice Award
*Washington State Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award
*California Collections
*A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
*A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
*A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
*An ALA Notable Book
*Capitol Choices
*New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
*Nominated for Young Reader awards in Texas, Illinois, Utah and Tennessee
5. Connections
A. Invite younger and older children to ask their questions about Alice and the Roosevelt family. Research this. Older children may wonder how the Roosevelt family compares and contrasts with another presidential family, such as the Kennedy's. Inquiry could take place in groups.
B. This books invites readers to create a scrapbook of Alice's adventures.
*Other books about Theodore Roosevelt and his family:
Editors of Time for Kids. TIME FOR KIDS: THEODORE ROOSEVELT: THE ADVENTUROUS PRESIDENT. ISBN 9780060576042.
Hollihan, Kerrie Logan. THEODORE ROOSEVELT FOR KIDS: HIS LIFE AND TIMES, 21 ACTIVITIES (FOR KIDS SERIES). ISBN 9781556529559
*Other biography picture books for children:
Adler, David A. and John C. Wallner. THE PICTURE BOOK OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN (PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHY). Ill. Alexandra Wallner. ISBN 9780823408016
Kerley, Barbara. THOSE REBELS, JOHN AND TOM. Ill. Edwin Fotheringham. ISBN 9780545222686
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| Image property of barbarakerley.com |
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