BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kerley, Barbara. 2008. What To Do About Alice?: How Alive Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy! Ill. by Edwin Fotheringham. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439922319
SUMMARY
Alice Roosevelt Longworth was the oldest child of former United States president Theodore Roosevelt. She was named after her mother, who died shortly after Alice was born. Alice was an energetic child and tomboy with a habit for making mischief, much to her father’s dismay. She grew to be an equally energetic woman who liked to have fun in private and in public, and this did not change when her father was elected as president. Alice was a celebrity before the traditional Hollywood celebrity was ever coined. The public adored Alice and would look for articles about her in the newspapers. Alice served as an advisor to both her father and her husband, Nicholas Longworth, a congress man; both men valued her opinions.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Alice Roosevelt Longworth was only two days old when her mother passed. Her father named her after her departed mother, his beloved Alice Lee. Alice’s father, former president Theodore Roosevelt wished for Alice to grow to be a proper lady. He always instructed her to be on her best behavior well into adulthood. However, Alice Roosevelt Longworth did as she pleased, enjoying life, devouring its experiences and gaining the love of many people in the United States as a result.
The cartoonish artwork done in soft oil paints and brilliant colors give this brief biography of Alice Roosevelt Longworth a whimsical appearance and feel that match the nature of the storytelling. The caricature images of Theodore Roosevelt mimic historical political cartoons featuring Theodore Roosevelt, making his character easily recognizable. Kerley wisely begins the story by introducing readers, who may not know much at all about Theodore Roosevelt, to the former president’s accomplishments, establishing his historical importance. Theodore’s daunting feats build from herding cattle to leading soldiers and fighting grizzly bears. One is ready for the next amazing thing he will have to face, because what else would make this brave man sweat as he is doing in an illustration on the second page. It is then that we are introduced to his daughter Alice; an illustration of Alice wearing a long red dress and dancing around the globe while holding a large spoon is given. Now, the reader not only knows that Theodore may find his daughter’s behavior inappropriate, but that Alice seems to be a fun, free-spirited character.
Kerley peppers the text with amusing and interesting tidbits of Alice’s life, while inserting facts. Readers learn that Alice’s mother died after her birth and that her father remarried and had other children, but he did not forget about Alice. The next pages catalog the multiple moves and traveling done by the family. Images of railways and steam engine trains indicative of the time period cross over great plains with cities in the backdrop, accompanied by white bubbles filled with images of Alice in various places like the beach, the Empire State building and having tea. Whenever Alice is in motion, dotted lines depict her movements. The story opens with lines crisscrossing Theodore’s office; the lines symbolize Alice’s inability to remain still and the places she has been.
Kerley uses capital letters written in bold font to emphasize statements that might ingrain themselves in the mind of child, such as “Tomboy”, “Unruly”, Shriveled”, “Enough was enough”. Also, more near the beginning of the biography, Kerley repeats variations of the phrase about Alice “eating up the world.” In pages to follow, after these phrases are presented, Kerley uses such adverbs as “voraciously” and verbs like “drank” to describe activities Alice involved herself in, such as reading, to further expose herself to the joys and intrigues of the world, likening these learning experiences to things that can be ingested or devoured.
A clever thing that Kerley does to tell the readers of some of Alice’s deeds and misdeeds is display illustrations of various news headlines detailing some of Alice’s activities that made her father sigh, “Oh, Alice.” Kerley chooses to focus the biography on Alice’s adventures and the more humorous things she engaged in or even innovated to capture the attention and interests of younger readers. At the end of the novel, an adult Alice is once again trotting across the globe, holding a spoon, only her spoon is much larger in comparison to the one she held at the beginning of the novel when she was a girl. The larger spoon can symbolize larger things to come for Alice in her future of politics, world traveling and being a public figure.
At the conclusion of the story, Kerley provides a section for author’s notes, so that readers may review her sources. Insight to the story that could not be gleaned from the text is given in the notes, such as the fact that Alice’s father, Theodore, often did not call Alice by name because it reminded him too much of his departed wife. It is also speculated that perhaps Alice traveled so much because she was uncomfortable at home. A bibliography of Kerley’s sources details from where certain quotes and portrayals originated, most sources are biographies written about Alice Roosevelt Longworth, some are newspaper articles and one is a resource about Theodore Roosevelt.
This short biography is a cheerful, positive work about an accomplished woman who made a name for herself by staying true to her own personal character despite public and familial criticism. Children will enjoy reading about the spunky Alice and learning historical tidbits about an interesting time period. Hopefully, this story will whet their appetite for more information about the Roosevelt family and their contributions to the country or other non-fiction novels about other spirited characters in history.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
"Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was....The large format gives Fotheringham, in his debut, plenty of room for spectacular art." --Starred Review, Booklist, December 15, 2007
"Theodore Roosevelt s irrepressible oldest child receives an appropriately vivacious appreciation in this superb picture book.... Kerley s precise text presents readers with a devilishly smart, strong-willed girl who was determined to live life on her own terms and largely succeeded." --Starred Review, Kirkus, February 1, 2008
"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." --Starred Review, School Library Journal, March 2008
CONNECTIONS
If children enjoyed reading about Alice Roosevelt Longworth, they will enjoy reading the following non-fiction works which also feature other historical figures that began as rascally young children with a penchant for mischief. Children can relate to and are entertained by these bold and often humorous characters that grew up to make great names for themselves.
Stone, Tanya Lee. 2010. Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote. Ill. by Rebecca Gibbon. New York: Square Fish. ISBN 978-0312602369
If children enjoyed learning about little known historical facts and historic female figures that made great and/or interesting contributions to our nation, they will enjoy reading these titles.
Rockwell, Anne. 2002. They Called Her Molly Pitcher. Ill. by Cynthia von Buhler. New York: Knopf Book for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0679991878
Anderson, Laurie Halse. 2005. Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving. Ill. by Matt Faulkner. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
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