"What To Do About Alice" by Barbara Kerley

“What to Do About Alice”

Bibliography

Kerley, Barbara. (2008) “What to Do About Alice.” New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 978-0-439-92231-9

Summary

This book tells the story of Alice Lee Roosevelt and her many antics and how the drove her poor father half crazy!

Analysis

                This book was much more informational than I originally thought it would be and also much more entertaining. We all learn about Theodore Roosevelt in school but very few of us get the opportunity to learn about his wild daughter Alice! Her antics and adventures no doubt caused her father quite a lot of grief and it was nice to see that somebody as influential as the president feels that he “can be president of the United States, or [he] can control Alice” but he doesn’t feel that he could possibly do both at the same time! Every parent thinks this at one point or another.

                The illustrations were cute and fairly simple but Alice’s wardrobe struck a chord with me. She is almost always pictured wearing one of 3 colors: Red, white or blue. I must assume this is done purposefully to emphasize that, despite her wild behavior, Alice is still a patriot and remains so throughout her life

                This book would be  a great companion to a lesson on the presidents, female heroines, social etiquette or perhaps even on what people can grow up to become if they can only learn to focus their energies.

Awards

Texas Blue Bonnet Award 2008