Spotlight on Non-Fiction
What to do about Alice? by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
Theodore Roosevelt was a memorable and respected president…and his daughter Alice definitely kept him on his toes! Let’s shine the spotlight on this picture book biography:
Summary
Alice was born to Theodore and Alice Roosevelt in 1884. Two days after she was born, her mother died. Her father remarried and had more children, but Alice was by far the go-getter. Theodore said Alice was “running riot”(Kerley, 2008, p.7), but Alice said she was “eating up the world” (Kerley, 2008, p. 7). The family moved between New York and Washington D.C. to follow her father’s work schedule. Alice took in everything she could while in both cities from rowing across Oyster Bay, to playing in the parks to eating rolls and drinking tea. For a short time, she was slowed by the addition of leg braces, but once they came off she was free…and she took full advantage. She joined an all-boys club and was seen as a tomboy. She was also home schooled and eventually taught herself by reading the books in her father’s library.
When she was 17 years old, her father became president. The family moved to the White House. This did not change Alice. She took charge of her younger brothers and sister and may have gotten them into mischief along the way. She was well known for greeting White House visitors with her pet snake.
She became a goodwill ambassador for her father and travelled around the world. Her father had to remind her to be on her best behavior and never to talk to reporters. But, everyone loved her and called her Princess Alice. She was seen out and about in interesting places doing interesting things like dancing, gambling and driving fast.
During her father’s 2nd term as president, Alice was asked to travel to Asia with the American delegation. When she returned, she married a congressman she met on the trip. She made the perfect wife of a congressman because of her political background. She also became a trusted advisor for her father. Theodore left a legacy as president and Alice left a legacy as his fun and vibrant daughter!
Discussion
Kerley drew quotes and information from other biographical pieces about Alice Roosevelt in order to write her picture book. She references her sources on the back cover. She also enlisted someone to do the fact checking with her text, as well as Fotheringham’s artwork.
The organization of the book is sequential. The book describes a timeline of Alice’s life. An Author’s Note is included at the end of the book. Kerley shares three additional stories about Teddy and Alice called: Sister, Princess Alice and The Other Washington. A full letter from Teddy to Alice is included in one of the stories. A line from this letter was quoted in the text. The stories serve to fill in more details about the relationship between Teddy and Alice, Alice’s lively behavior, her political actions and her life with her husband. The pages at the end of the book confirm it is grounded in careful research and maintains accuracy.
The illustrations are inviting as they depict Teddy, Alice and the other children drawn in bright, bold colors. Facial expressions are a key detail. A page early on in the book shows a close up of an exasperated Teddy. Fotheringham also gave special attention to the fashion of the times and included Alice’s regal clothing, hats and accessories. A part towards the end of the book shows Alice and her fiancé looking dapper on one page and her high society White House wedding on the other. Most of the backgrounds in the illustrations are understated with lighter colors. The illustrations cover one or two pages. Some pages include multiple illustrations. The illustrations compliment the text and enhance the appeal for readers. The biographical information seems like the added bonus in this artful picture book.
They layout of the book adds to its interesting style. Some pages feature words in bold print and all capital letters or different fonts. Other pages include words going up or down the page. Kerley and Fotheringham included newspaper pages, articles and headlines drawn as backgrounds, as well. The headlines serve to tell part of the story. A two page spread in the middle of the book has a handful of newspaper pages surrounding Alice. The newspaper pages address her lively behavior.
The title of the book serves as a theme and Kerley circles back to it at the end of the story. Alice begins and ends the story carrying a spoon to show her “eating up the world” (Kerley, 2008, p. 7).
Overall, the strength of this book is in its design as a picture book biography. The beautiful illustrations help tell the interesting story behind the scenes of the White House. It is a story many readers may be unfamiliar with and it is told in an unforgettable way. The reader will be able to tell how Alice inspired Kerley in writing this book.
Awards/Reviews
Barbara Kerley is an award winning author of several picture books like: The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, a Caldecott Honor, an ALA Notable Book and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and Walt Whitman: Words for America, a Sibert Honor Book.
This book also received many honors like: Sibert Honor Book, Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book, Irma Black Award Honor Book,
Parents Choice Award, Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, School
Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Kirkus Reviews Best Book of
the Year and ALA Notable Book.
“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." - Booklist
"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." - School Library 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." - Publishers Weekly
"What to do about Alice? Enjoy!" - Horn Book
Teacher’s Tools
Students could develop a timeline of Alice’s actions and accomplishments throughout her life. Resources referenced by Kerley at the end of this book could be used to gather more information about Alice.
Students could engage in further research about Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. A flow map of his major accomplishments could be developed by students.
Students could discuss what it means to “eat up the world” and describe how Alice did this.
Bibliographic Information
Kerley, Barbara. 2008. What to to 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-13: 978-0-439-92231-9.
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