BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kerley, Barbara.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. ISBN 0545123259
PLOT SUMMARY
This book gives an interesting look into the life of Alice Roosevelt who was born in 1884 and was the eldest daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt. She was an independent and happy child who was hard to contain. For pets, she had a snake and a monkey that she showed to everyone visiting. She named her snake, Emily spinach because of its color and its resemblance to her thin aunt. She refused to go to boarding school and instead stayed at home and educated herself by reading at her father’s library. She was an adventurous little girl who roamed on the streets of Washington and taught her younger siblings to slide down the stairways on trays. President Roosevelt famously said about his daughter, "I can be president of the United States or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both." The author focuses on the childhood, youth, teenage and finally the marriage of Alice to a congressman. The large, colorful and hilarious illustrations by Edwin Fotheringham complement the biography of this fun loving little girl.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE ? is a good picture book biography to read aloud. Author Barbara Kerley brings to light the life of Alice Roosevelt and the troubles she created for her father. Young children will enjoy hearing about the early years of her life. The book describes the tough childhood and teenage years, but at the end the author also talks about her life as a mature individual who joined politics and proved to be an asset to her father.
The text used is simple and will keep young children engaged. Quotation marks have been used throughout the book.
The illustrations are colorful and vibrant. The large illustrations capture the facial expressions of the characters perfectly. Blue and red colors are used on every page to depict the full of life personality of Alice.
This is a light hearted and colorful biography of Alice Roosevelt that will be enjoyed by young children and will keep them engaged with her funny and hilarious life style.
AWARDS/ REVIEW EXCERPTS
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
Booklist, starred review: "Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was.... Kerley's text has the same rambunctious spirit as its subject, grabbing readers from the first line.... The large format gives Fotheringham, in his debut, plenty of room for spectacular art."
School Library Review, 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.... Fascinating."
Publishers Weekly, starred review: “It's hard to imagine a picture book biography that could better suit its subject than this high-energy volume serves young Alice Roosevelt."
CONNECTIONS
*There is lot of information about teacher’s guide on this book on the author’s own website http://www.barbarakerley.com/TRAlice.html
*For art, children could be asked to draw a picture of Alice with her pets.
*Related books:
-Kimmelman, Leslie.2009. MIND YOUR MANNERS, ALICE ROOSEVELT! Peachtree Publishers. ISBN 1561454923
-Felsenthal, Carol.2003. PRINCESS ALICE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ALICE ROOSEVELT LONGWORTH. St. Martin's Griffin.ISBN 0312302223
No comments:
Post a Comment