What to Do About Alice?

 

Bibliography

Kerley, B. (2008). What To Do About Alice? Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439922319

Plot Summary

One would think a President’s daughter would be prim and proper, as a young lady of importance should be. However, Alice wanted to “eat up the world” and she did just that! Alice, being very unconventional for her time, drove her father (President Theodore Roosevelt) crazy with her silly antics. As Alice grew older, despite being as eccentric as she was, she soon became known as one of the President’s most trusted advisors. Being born into politics and marrying a congressman, Alice continued to find herself associated with the political elite. Taking advantage of such, throughout her lifetime, Alice Roosevelt continued to push aside social barriers and soon become known as “The Other Washington Monument”. 

Brimming with affection and wit, this spirited biography gives readers a peek at family life inside the White House. Prose and pictures spring, gambol, and two-step across the pages to celebrate a maverick American heroine.

Critical Analysis

Presenting an entertaining biography of a young girl, Barbara Kerley superbly depicts the quirky, eccentric Alice Roosevelt and her escapades to readers. Full of sass, unconventional thinking, and rowdiness, this biography gives readers a glimpse into the life of a White House family. Children will revel in delight and appreciate how a seemingly pristine family is actually quite normal…especially with Alice. Illustrations by Edwin Fotheringham add to the dynamics of this entertaining biography. Brightly colored drawings help engage the reader and elicit mood and meaning from the text. This will be one biography children will want to read again and again. 

Review Excerpt(s)

"It's hard to imagine a picture book biography that could better suit its subject than this high-energy volume serves young Alice Roosevelt... Debut illustrator Fotheringham creates the perfect mood from the start... Kids will embrace a heroine who teaches her younger stepsiblings to sled down the White House stairs, entertains dignitaries with her pet snake, and captivates a nation with pranks and high jinks." -- Publishers Weekly

"Theodore Roosevelt's irrepressible oldest child receives an appropriately vivacious appreciation in this superb picture book... Taking her thematic approach from Alice's own self-description, 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... The illustrator takes every opportunity to develop Alice's character further... It's a gleeful celebration of a fully, unapologetically led life." -- Kirkus Reviews

A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book

A Sibert Honor Book

Connections

For additional activities related to the book:

• Read the selection as a Readers Theater piece. Click the link here for the activity: 

http://www.thebestclass.org/uploads/5/6/2/4/56249715/what_to_do_about_alice.pdf

• Have children brainstorm about what it must be like to be a child/teenager living in the White House. List the pros and cons. Tell children about other White House children.

• Ask the following questions: What did she do that was different from other girls her age? How did her actions possibly affect today’s youth?

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• The Story of Jane Goodall by Susan B. Katz
• The Story of Ruby Bridges by Arlisha Norwood Alston PhD