What to do with Alice?

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kerley, Barbara. 2008. WHAT TO DO WITH ALICE? Ill. By Edwin Fotheringham. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439922313

PLOT SUMMARY
In this colorful biography, we are offered a brief glimpse into the life and character of Alice Roosevelt, President Theodore Roosevelt's daughter. As Theodore Roosevelt begins his journey to the White House, his daughter Alice is begins to make her own mark on the world by becoming one of the most talked about women of her time. Her wild behavior such as having a pet snake named Emily Spinach, joining an all-boys club, and “eating up the world” made her a “running riot”to her father but caused the American people to love her all the more. As Alice grew up she became more involved in politics and became a wife of a congressman and even an adviser to her father while still holding on to her “unruly” and adventurous nature.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This lively biography is perfectly written for children of any age. Written by Barbara Kerley the details of Alice Roosevelt's life are presented in chronological manner from the time she was born, details her young adult life, and ends as she gets married and begins her adult life. Kerley writes Alice's short biography in way to not only inform the reader but to entertain them as well. Some biographies may beat the reader over the head with details and facts but Kerley manages to magically slip famous excerpts, headlines, and quotes into the story to provide factual evidence of Alice's crazy antics and voracious appetite for life.
Fotheringham illustrations complement Kerley's text in every way. To match Alice's wild and “unruly” nature the most vibrant and vivid colors are used to illustrate this short biography. Alice is often depicted in a bright red dress and is active in every page whether it be when she is riding on the handle bars of a bike, dancing until the wee hours of the morning, or even waving to friends during her father's inauguration. Fotheringham also complements Kerley's work by drawing attention to famous quotes and headlines by placing them in all caps and by bolding them in dark black or stark white text.

REVIEW EXCERT
2009 AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION NOTABLE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURAL 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. 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.”

CONNECTIONS
*Invite students to read biographies that interest them and then share suprising details they've learned.
Read other biographies by Barbara Kerley such as:
THE EXTRAORDINARY MARK TWAIN (ACCORDING TO SUSY). ISBN 0545125081
WALT WHITMAN: WORDS FOR AMERICA. ISBN 0439357913