What to Do About Alice?

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/what-do-about-alice

Kerley, Barbara. 2008. What to Do About Alice? : How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!  Ill. by Edwin Fotheringham. Broadway,NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439922313

Summary

What to Do About Alice? is a picture book biography of Alice Roosevelt, President Theodore Roosevelt's high spirited daughter. Despite the death of her mother at a young age and having to wear leg braces as a child, young Alice lived voraciously, sometimes driving her father to exasperation. Young Alice rode a bicycle, joined an all-boys club, and read through her father's library for her education. As the president's daughter, she served as a goodwill ambassador to foreign lands and captured the hearts of many people. Alice grew up and married Nicholas Longworth and became a congressman's wife, but she continued to be heavily involved in politics becoming a valued advisor of her father. Alice, throughout her life, continued to defy the conventions expected of women in her time. 

Critical Analysis


Barbara Kerley is no amateur when it comes to writing award winning picture book biographies; her bibliography includes The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins and Walt Whitman: Words for America. What to Do about Alice?, in addition to providing the reader with accurate and documented information, is both an entertaining and delightful read. Kerley provides an author's note page in the back of the book, which explains in further detail parts of Alice's life, such as the death of her mother, her father's concern and admiration for her, and her involvement in Washington's politics. A citation informs the reader of the sources for the quotes used throughout the book, and a special thanks made to Carol Felsenthal, author of Princess Alice: The Life and Times of Alice Roosevelt Longworth, assures the reader that the facts in the text and illustrations were checked by a knowledgeable writer.

What to Do about Alice? is organized in a picture book format meant to be read from start to finish. With the exception of the additional information in the author's notes included after the story, the book does not include, nor require, reference aids to access the informational content. The book follows a logical layout and clear sequence, beginning Alice's story in early childhood and continuing through adolescence and adulthood. Kerley hooks the reader from the start by stating, "Theodore Roosevelt had a small problem," followed by an impressive list of accomplishments that does not include keeping his daughter from "running riot."

The design of What to Do about Alice? is attractive and readable. The illustrations invite the reader into Alice's world. Fotheringham's illustrations appropriately represent the time period with the clothes and furniture being of the 1900's; the illustrations also complement the writing by adding a touch of humor to Kerley's straight forward text. Bold type in the text adds emphasis to certain quotes and information, and helps to communicate the subject matter clear and effectively. The layout of the illustrations and the text keep the story moving at a pace as fast as its subject Alice, while keeping readers enticed to turn the page and find out what will happen next.

Kerley has given What to Do about Alice? a lively and unique style that captures the exuberance of the subject. Dotted 'speed' lines show Alice's movement from place to place; my favorite page is Alice in her father's library with five different frames and numerous dotted lines showing her pulling books from the shelf. Children will be able to identify with Alice's desire for adventure, which the author reveals with passion and enthusiasm. The language in Kerley's text is appropriate for the targeted age group, while using adjectives and phrases that will hold the interest of readers. She provides enough information that the reader gets a solid sense of the person Alice Roosevelt was, but will still encourage the curious reader to seek out more information.

Reviews

Publishers Weekly, March 31, 2008, praised What to Do About Alice?  stating, "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…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."

The January 01, 2008 starred review in Booklist says, "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, which includes use of digital media."

Awards

What to Do About Alice? was nominated for a Robert F. Sibert Award in 2009 and won the American Library Association Notable Books for Children Award in 2009. 

Connections


What to Do about Alice?  could be recommended in combination with Leslie Kimmelman's Mind Your Manners, Alice Roosevelt!  Children could use both books to create a timeline of Alice Roosevelt Longworth's life.

The book would also be an excellent jumping off point for conversation of the cultural expectations of women in the past. Children could compare and contrast women's lives today to the roles of women in the early 1900's.

References

Books In Print. Texas Woman's University. Accessed October 25, 2013