What to do About Alice? Review

 This biography review covers the life of a presidential daughter.

Book Review #11, What to Do About Alice?

1.       Bibliography: Kerley, Barbara. What to do About Alice?.  Scholastic Press; 2008. ISBN: 978043992313.

2.       Plot Summary: This biographical tale is the true story of Alice Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt’s oldest child. Alice was known to be tough, and ahead of her times. She had to wear braces on her legs, but didn’t want or expect anyone’s sympathy. After spending some time having fun riding a bicycle, she was sent to a boarding school to learn how to be a young lady. Things changed even more for her when her father became the president, and the family moved to the White House. Alice’s behaviors and actions were always being watched and criticized. Eventually, Alice gets married and has her own life, but she is still remembered for living a full life full of spunk. This is an important story that can teach children the power of individuality.

3.       Critical Analysis: This biography book contains fanciful, vibrant illustrations that match Alice’s on the go, lively descriptions of her character. One two page spread discusses the family’s moves for her father’s jobs, stating, “Wherever they went, Alice ate up the world”. A large illustration of a train is shown with small, postcard like images of Alice actively enjoying various activities, such as drinking tea, playing in front of the White House, and taking a break from a boat ride. The author also arranged some text in ways to emphasize certain elements of the story. There is one part where Alice is riding a bicycle, after her leg braces finally come off. The illustration shows a nervous Roosevelt watching his carefree daughter on her bike. The text is short and poem like, with only a few to one word per line, ending with the word “cautious”, in bold. The author’s note at the end of the book gives some more information about Alice, including a note that her father wrote to her in 1903. The author lists source information for where she took all the direct quotes for the book, and also thanked her fact checker for her work with both the text and illustrations. This shows that the information was researched and accurate. The book is logically laid out like most biographies in chronological order, where it starts with Alice as a young child, and ends with her as a grown up. Biographies should not jump around from different time periods, as this would be confusing when presenting facts to readers. The book maintains an upbeat and lively style, thanks to word choices and illustrations. The book is not overly wordy either, giving just enough information to portray Alice as a fun, free spirited person. The following passage is an example of one that provides a lot of information, without writing too much. “Alice had a marvelous time. She danced the hula in Hawaii. She jumped fully clothed into the ship’s swimming pool. She watched sumo wrestling in Japan, reviewed the troops in the Philippines, and toured the gardens of the empress of China, receiving many gifts along the way.” This gives readers a clear picture of Alice’s activities, but is short enough to still keep engagement. This is an entertaining read, perfect for women’s history, biography, or presidential family collections.

4.       Review Excerpts:

·         Sibert Honor Book, ALA Notable Book, Kirkus Best Book of the Year

·         From School Library Journal, “Kerley’s text gallops along with a vitality to match her subject’s antics.”

·         From Booklist, “Kerley’s text has the same rambunctious spirit as its subject, grabbing readers from the first line.”

·         From Kirkus, “It’s a gleeful celebration of a fully, unapologetically led life.”

5.       Connections: Use as part of a display for Women’s History Month with other books about impactful women.

·         Harris, Meena. Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea, Balzer and Bray, 2020. ISBN: 9780062937407.

·         Levy, Debbie. I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes her Mark. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016. ISBN: 9781481465595.

·         Rosenstock, Barb. Leave it to Abigail! The Revolutionary Life of Abigail Adams. Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2020. ISBN: 9780316415712.

Have children work together to create a timeline with major events from the story. The timeline can be displayed.

Teach children about the White House and famous families that have lived there.

Compare and contrast Alice and her life with another presidential daughter, such as President Obama’s daughters.

Have children participate in a readers’ theater or monologue based off of the book.