Join the Book Club: WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE, By Barbara Kerley, Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

Kerley, Barbara. WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE? HOW ALICE ROOSEVELT BROKE THE RULES, CHARMED THE WORLD, AND DROVE HER FATHER TEDDY CRAZY!. Ill. by Edwin Fotheringham. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. ISBN 0439922313

Alice Roosevelt did not grow up like an ordinary young lady, President’s daughter or not. She did not attend school or wear dresses like the other girls her age. She kept a pet snake in her room and ran wild in the White House with her stepsiblings. And she never cared what reporters wrote about her and her adventures in the newspapers. An outrageous and fiercely independent girl, Alice captured the heart of the entire nation with her shocking behavior and sharp knowledge of the world around her.

Barbara Kerley’s biography captures the spunk and spirit of a young Alice Roosevelt as she grows and matures under the watchful eye of her president father. Young readers will be delighted to learn about Alice’s antics, which Kerley describes with great detail and dynamic adjectives that allow students to truly imagine what life inside the White House would be like for a child. From greeting visitors with her pet snake to stealing the attention at her father’s second inauguration, Kerley depicts Alice as full of nerve and wit. The author writes objectively and even includes documented dialogue between Alice and her famous father, quoting a letter Theodore Roosevelt wrote to his daughter on her return from a visit to Cuba and Puerto Rico. Kerley captures both the President’s pride in his daughter’s accomplishments and his exasperation with her bold personality and actions. The book’s unique style showcases both these sides of Alice, highlighting her outrageous behavior (sumo wrestling in Japan!) alongside her love and knowledge of politics. Kerley increases her credibility with an author’s note at the story’s end, where she details more about Alice Roosevelt’s life, marriage and political impact.

The digital illustrations by Edwin Fotheringham in WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE? complement Kerley’s portrayal of a young, boisterous Alice Roosevelt. Fotheringham’s pictures are bright and inviting, while also depicting Alice as an unruly and rowdy child who was indeed a “running riot.” The illustrations suggest her quick movement on every page, showing Alice springing up and down on her grandfather’s couch, dashing around the Capital’s lawn, flying down the length of the page on a bicycle, and zooming down the White House staircase. Fotheringham communicates Alice’s love for adventure and controversy, often depicting her with a sly smile or backwards glance as her daring behavior astonishes those around her. The bright and colorful illustrations, as well as a speckling of bold and enlarged fonts on the pages, beg young readers to take a peek inside and learn just how Alice “charmed the world” while driving her father crazy!

BOOKLIST gives WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE? a starred review, writing “Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was.” THE NEW YORK TIMES agrees, stating “Kerley reveals the essence of Alice in an upbeat account of her life.” WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE? is a witty and entertaining informational biography for children that is both accurate and lively. Kerley and Fotheringham are a perfect team to create enthusiasm for the wild life of Alice Roosevelt. An award-winning picture book biography, WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE? boasts:

PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY Best Book of the Year

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Best Book of the Year

KIRKUS REVIEWS Best Book of the Year

ALA Notable Book

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Readers who are curious to learn more about growing up inside the White House can also read:

FIRST KIDS: THE TRUE STORY OF ALL THE PRESIDENTS’ CHILDREN, By Noah McCullough, ISBN 0545175380

OF THEE I SING, A LETTER TO MY DAUGHTERS, By Barack Obama, Illustrated by Loren Long, ISBN 037583527X

PRESIDENTIAL PETS: THE WEIRD, WACKY, LITTLE, BIG, STRANGE ANIMALS THAT LIVED IN THE WHITE HOUSE, By Julia Moberg, Illustrated by Jeff Albrecht Studios, ISBN 1936140799