Book cover accessed from: goodreads.comBibliographic data:
Kerley, Barbara. 2008. What to do about Alice? : how Alice Roosevelt broke the rules, charmed the world, and drove her father Teddy crazy!. Ill. Edwin Fotheringham. New York: Scholastic Press.
Summary:
Alice, the only child of Theodore Roosevelt and his first wife Alice Lee, was a “small problem,” that according to her loving and doting father was “running riot.” Alice thought differently, she called it “eating up the world,” which she did. She captured the heart of the nation and showed the world, that she was ahead of the times, by stepping out of societies expectations of women in the 1900’s. All of her antics did not take away from her being an intelligent and educated dynamic member of society. This biography, with its vivacious illustrations gives insight into Alice Roosevelt’s life growing up in the White House.
Critical analysis:
Barbara Kerley’s, What to Do about Alice?, the biography of Alice Lee Roosevelt, is informative and captivating to the intended audience of readers. As Alice “eats up the world” we learn many pieces of information about Theodore Roosevelt’s “small problem.”
What To Do About Alice? is a biography that follows a logical and clear sequence of events as Alice experiences and lives life on her own terms—“From the time she was a little girl, Alice ate up the world” or as her loving father, Teddy, stated she was “running riot.” The author’s note gives credibility to what she has written about Alice’s life, her father’s love for her, and her “life of social excitement.”
The book design and illustrations are colorful with Alice blue all throughout making it totally attractive and complementing the text in conjunction with the vivid character illustrations. Edwin Fotheringham’s graphics throughout the book show us Alice in motion using speed lines depicting her constant movement, especially when she said to her father, “Let me loose in your library” or when she taught her brothers and sister how to sled down the staircase in the White House because “She watched her younger brothers and sister so her stepmother could get some rest.” His graphics, including headlines, communicate what is going on in Alice’s life clearly and effectively.
The overall combination of large, vivid illustrations, eye catching fonts and author’s choice of words make What To Do About Alice? a story that is full of Alice’s personality and active life. Kerley wrote the book in a language and vocabulary that is easily comprehendible to readers of any age.
Review excerpt(s):
Publishers Weekly, 03/31/2008
It’s hard to imagine a picture book biography that could better suit its subject than this high-energy volume serves young Alice Roosevelt. Kerley (The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins ) knows just how to introduce her to contemporary readers: “Theodore Roosevelt had a small problem. It wasn’t herding thousands of cattle across the Dakota badlands. He’d done that. It wasn’t leading the Rough Riders.... He’d bagged a grizzly bear, captured outlaws, governed the state of New York, and served as vice president of the United States, and still he had a problem. Her name was Alice.” Debut illustrator Fotheringham creates the perfect mood from the start: his stylish digital art sets a fast pace, making use of speed lines (rendered in dots, these earn their names) and multiple vignettes to evoke characters in perpetual motion. His compositions wittily incorporate headlines, iconic images and plenty of Alice blue, too. 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. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) Publishers Weekly, A Reed Business Information Publication [1]
School Library Journal, 03/01/2008
Gr 2–4— Kerley brings another historical figure to life. Alice Lee Roosevelt was President Theodore Roosevelt's only child by his first wife, who died two days after her birth. From the start, Alice's behavior was unconventional, and that pattern was to continue throughout her colorful life. 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. The energy in his pictures is palpable as when Alice is turned loose in her father's library and five Alices dart about followed by lines that trace her frenetic path as she reads eclectically and voraciously. The illustrations not only enhance but are frequently the source of humor: "Alice tried to be helpful. She watched her younger brothers and sister so her stepmother could get some rest." The picture depicts Alice and her siblings careening down the White House stairs on sleds. Alice blue, the color named after her eyes, swirls throughout in a subtle tribute. 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.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ School Library Journal, A Reed Business Information Publication[1]
Kirkus Reviews, 02/01/2008
Theodore Roosevelt's irrepressible oldest child receives an appropriately vivacious appreciation in this superb picture book. "From the time she was a little girl, Alice ate up the world." Taking her thematic approach from Alice's own self-description, 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. Sprinkling her account with well-chosen quotations, she outlines Alice Roosevelt Longworth's childhood and its increasingly outrageous hijinks, as well as the loving (if sometimes exasperating) relationship she enjoyed with her renowned father. Fotheringham's digital illustrations perfectly evoke the retro styles of an earlier age, depicting a confident Alice sailing through life and tackling every challenge with delight and aplomb. The illustrator takes every opportunity to develop Alice's character further; one memorable spread shows a blandly smiling Alice leading her smaller siblings in riding trays down the White House stairs while the text merely remarks, "She watched her younger brothers and sister so her stepmother could get some rest." It's a gleeful celebration of a fully, unapologetically led life. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 5-10) Copyright 2008, VNU Business Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved [1]
BookList, 01/01/2008
Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was. The daughter of Theodore Roosevelt (and a mother who died soon after childbirth), Alice had a joie de vivre that she called “eating up the world.” This energy exhibited itself in her joining an all-boys club, tramping around Washington, D.C., and, later, taking off on around-the-world adventures. Kerley’s text has the same rambunctious spirit as its subject, grabbing readers from the first line: “Theodore Roosevelt had a small problem.” Children will be impressed with the way Alice took control of her life: eschewing formal schooling, she convinced T. R. to “let her loose in his library.” The large format gives Fotheringham, in his debut, plenty of room for spectacular art, which includes use of digital media. In almost every picture, Alice is running, motoring, racing. One clever spread shows what it was like to be a media princess: newspaper pages fly across the spread, obscuring Alice. There are a few flaws. Kids, who have a shaky sense of history, would have benefited from a time line, and quotes are barely sourced. These are small points, though, in an otherwise invigorating look at larger-than-life Alice. An afterword is appended -- Ilene Cooper. Booklist, published by the American Library Association. [1]
Connections:[3]
Teacher's Guide for What To Do About Alice?
1. Alice described her zest for life as "eating up the world." Ask students what they think this phrase means. Reread the book as a class, noting the kinds of things Alice did to experience everything life had to offer.
As a follow-up, have students consider what kinds of things they would like to do to "eat up the world." Invite them to share their ideas orally, in a written paragraph, or through making a poster.
2. What is it like to live in the White House? Try a lesson created by The White House Historical Association:K - 3
4 - 8
1. Alice described her zest for life as "eating up the world." Ask students what they think this phrase means. Reread the book as a class, noting the kinds of things Alice did to experience everything life had to offer.
As a follow-up, have students consider what kinds of things they would like to do to "eat up the world." Invite them to share their ideas orally, in a written paragraph, or through making a poster.
2. What is it like to live in the White House? Try a lesson created by The White House Historical Association:K - 3
4 - 8
Visit Barbara Kerley's website for Classroom Ideas, which includes "fun" ways to use her books--including What To Do About Alice?
more about alice:
awards:[2]
Sibert Honor Book
ALA Notable Book
Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
Irma Black Award Honor Book
Parents Choice Award
Best Books of the Year -- Publishers Weekly
Best Books of the Year -- School Library Journal
Best Books of the Year -- Kirkus Reviews
Washington State Scandiuzzi Children’s Book Award
California Collections
Capitol Choices
New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
Nominated for Young Reader Awards in Texas, Illinois, Utah, and Tennessee
Bibliographies:
Kerley, Barbara, and Ed Fotheringham. What to do about Alice? : how Alice Roosevelt broke the rules, charmed the world, and drove her father Teddy crazy!. Scholastic Press, 2008. Book Index with Reviews, EBSCOhost (accessed July 16, 2011).
Kerley, Barbara. Barbara Kerley Children’s Book Author, accessed July 16, 2011, http://www.barbarakerley.com/Site/Welcome.html
Citations:
[1] Kerley, Barbara, and Ed Fotheringham. What to do about Alice? : how Alice Roosevelt broke the rules, charmed the world, and drove her father Teddy crazy!. Scholastic Press, 2008. Book Index with Reviews, EBSCOhost (accessed July 16, 2011).
[2] Kerley, Barbara. Barbara Kerley Children’s Book Author, accessed July 16, 2011, http://www.barbarakerley.com/Site/Welcome.html
[3] Ibid, http://www.barbarakerley.com/TRAlice.html
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