What to do About Alice?

What To Do About Alice?

Written By Barbara Kerley and Illustrated By Edwin Fotheringham

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/books/review/Posesorski-t.html?_r=0 Accessed October 29th, 2013

Summary

            From the day she was born, Alice Roosevelt, first daughter of America, never let anything, not her presidential father Theodore Roosevelt nor the conservative ladies of the day, get in her way of “eating up the world”.

Critical Analysis

            Barbara Kerley’s What to do About Alice? is  a children’s biography that reads like a picture book and yet provides copious information on the life of Alice Lee Roosevelt. With a cohesive narrative and a logical layout, readers follow Alice Roosevelt as she grows up and takes her place as one of America’s most influential women. Beginning with an exasperated Theodore Roosevelt, readers discover that despite the fact that he had herded thousands of cattle across the Dakota badlands, led the Rough Riders in the charge up Kettle Hill, killed a grizzly bear, captured outlaws, governed New York and been the Vice President, Roosevelt could not control his own daughter (Kerley, 2008).

            What to do About Alice? follows the natural progression of Alice Roosevelt’s life – from her birth and her mother’s tragic death two days later, to her marriage and rise as a political advisor in her own right. The story of Alice’s life is even continued on end pages of the book where a more detailed account of Alice Roosevelt’s life is provided. Through the clear sequence of events of Alice Roosevelt’s life readers are able to see how Alice Roosevelt became the world-renowned woman she is known as today. It should be noted that there are very few dates provided within the pages of What to do About Alice? – in fact the only dates provided are the year Alice was born, the year Theodore Roosevelt was elected president and the year Theodore Roosevelt was elected to his second presidential term. The vast majority of the What to do About Alice? bibliographic information is provided to illustrated the type of woman Alice was rather than providing information to the social and political climate of the age in which Alice lived. What to do About Alice? provides no table of contents, no chapters, no index and no subheadings – it is simply the story of how Alice became infamous by being wholy and completely herself.

            Kerley is passion towards Alice Roosevelt’s story and her place in American history clearly resonates through Kerley’s use of language and tone. Kerley’s excitement for her subject permeates the pages of What to do About Alice? and is demonstrated through the care she took to cite her work and the additional information that she provides at the end of the book – it’s as if she couldn’t let Alice’s story go and wanted to ensure that readers received as much information as possible. Through the use of multiple biographies, Theodore Roosevelt’s published letters and Alice Roosevelt’s own words from her autobiography, Kerley bolsters her story with well-documented fact. Kerley also strives to paint an accurate portrait of Alice Roosevelt and illustrate that her free spirited celebrity image did not extend to all aspects of her life. Kerley shows that even though Alice bucked tradition, Kerley paints (with Fotheringham’s help) a demure Alice as she marries Nicholas Longsworth. Kerley also acknowledges that despite being a pioneer of feminist attitude, Alice still took on the mantle of wife and put her influence to work supporting her husband and his career. Kerley uses language and verbiage that is appropriate for youth reading levels but is still entertaining to adults. Kerley’s own reputation as an author lends credibility to What to do About Alice? as her previous biographies The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins and Walt Whitman: Words for America were both ALA Notable Books. Kerley’s open presentation of Alice Roosevelt’s life allows readers to see that even through Alice Roosevelt bucked the societal trends of the day, her ability to follow her heart and dreams allowed her to make history in a way that none of her more proper step brothers and sisters were able to. Through Alice Roosevelt’s thirst for life, or as she put it, her desire to “eat up the world”, she was able to experience life in a way that few women of the time were able to and she was able to make a place for herself in a world that very few women were able to occupy – a place where her opinion was valued and her advice was sought.

Awards

A 2009 American Library Association Notable Books for Children. 
A Sibert Honor Book

Illustrations

The large format layout of What to do About Alice? is charming and readable with delightful illustrations by Edwin Fotheringham that capture the free-spirited charisma of Alice. The colorful illustrations juxtapose the blithe, care-free spirit of Alice beautifully with the anxious and stressed expressions of her father and the stern expressions of the “proper” ladies of the day. Through the movement created through Fotheringham’s illustrations readers come to realize just what a force of nature Alice Roosevelt was and how her exuberance for life took her across the globe. Through the clear used of text and the expressive illustrations readers come to understand that while following your heart and being yourself might not have won Alice Roosevelt any points with the conservative women’s groups, it did get her; 23 cases of “loot” from her tour as an American Goodwill Ambassador, a husband and hundreds upon hundreds of wedding presents from total strangers and a place in American history (Kerley, 2008)!

Book Reviews

Booklist (01/01/2008):
*Starred Review* Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was. The daughter of Theodore Roosevelt (and a mother who died soon after childbirth), Alice had a joie de vivre that she called eating up the world. This energy exhibited itself in her joining an all-boys club, tramping around Washington, D.C., and, later, taking off on around-the-world adventures. Kerleys text has the same rambunctious spirit as its subject, grabbing readers from the first line: Theodore Roosevelt had a small problem. Children will be impressed with the way Alice took control of her life: eschewing formal schooling, she convinced T. R. to let her loose in his library. The large format gives Fotheringham, in his debut, plenty of room for spectacular art, which includes use of digital media. In almost every picture, Alice is running, motoring, racing. One clever spread shows what it was like to be a media princess: newspaper pages fly across the spread, obscuring Alice. There are a few flaws. Kids, who have a shaky sense of history, would have benefited from a time line, and quotes are barely sourced. These are small points, though, in an otherwise invigorating look at larger-than-life Alice. An afterword is appended.

Horn Book Magazine (03/01/2008):
This sassy biography of Alice Roosevelt Longworth validates President Theodore Roosevelt's famous quip about his oldest child: "I can be president of the United States, or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both." Spunky and headstrong, Alice "was hungry to go places, meet people, do things. Father called it 'running riot.' Alice called it 'eating up the world.'" Readers can call her actions what they will as they follow Alice sneaking out at night; riding trays down the White House stairs; or diving, fully clothed, into a ship's pool. With a palette that emphasizes Alice Blue, her signature color, the illustrations often match Alice's spirit with zigzag streaks, circular pieces of spot art, and slanting figures. Both text and illustrations can depict a demure Alice (on her wedding day, for example), but that decorum is short-lived as she dances the turkey trot or plays poker with "the boys." An author's note hints at Alice's probable unhappiness as a child (her mother died two days after Alice's birth, and Theodore never spoke her name again); expands on ways that Alice served the president; and details her political influence, and outrageousness, in later life. What to do about Alice? Enjoy!

School Library Journal (03/01/2008):
Gr 24Kerley brings another historical figure to life. Alice Lee Roosevelt was President Theodore Roosevelt's only child by his first wife, who died two days after her birth. From the start, Alice's behavior was unconventional, and that pattern was to continue throughout her colorful life. 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. The energy in his pictures is palpable as when Alice is turned loose in her father's library and five Alices dart about followed by lines that trace her frenetic path as she reads eclectically and voraciously. The illustrations not only enhance but are frequently the source of humor: "Alice tried to be helpful. She watched her younger brothers and sister so her stepmother could get some rest." The picture depicts Alice and her siblings careening down the White House stairs on sleds. Alice blue, the color named after her eyes, swirls throughout in a subtle tribute. This book provides a fascinating glimpse into both a bygone era and one of its more interesting denizens as well as a surefire antidote for any child who thinks that historical figures are boring.



Publishers Weekly (03/31/2008):
Its 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: Theodore Roosevelt had a small problem. It wasn’t herding thousands of cattle across the Dakota badlands. He’d done that. It wasn’t leading the Rough Riders.... He’d bagged a grizzly bear, captured outlaws, governed the state of New York, and served as vice president of the United States, and "still" he had a problem. Her name was Alice. 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. His compositions wittily incorporate headlines, iconic images and plenty of Alice blue, too. Kids will embrace a heroine who teaches her younger stepsiblings to sled down the White House stairs (Alice tried to be helpful, Kerley writes soberly as Fotheringham shows her in action), entertains dignitaries with her pet snake and captivates a nation with pranks and high jinks.

Connections

Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell is a picture book styled biography that tells the story of Jane Goodall and how she dreamed of someday working with animals. Through hard work and perseverance, Jane Goodall was able to buck tradition, travel to Africa, make some of the most influential discoveries on primate behavior and become one of the worlds most respected humanitarians and animal advocates. Both Jane and Alice were able to face the societal pressures of their time and persevere to take their place in the world that they created for themselves.

References

Booklist 01/01/2008 pg. 79 (EAN 9780439922319, Hardcover) - *Starred Review

Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2008 pg. 227 (EAN 9780439922319, Hardcover) - *Starred Review

Kerley, Barbara. 2008. What to do About Alice?. Ill Edwin Fotheringham. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439922319

Kirkus Review - Children 02/01/2008 pg. 148 (EAN 9780439922319, Hardcover) - *Starred Review

McDonnell, Patrick. 2011. Me…Jane. New York, NY: Little Brown for Young Readers. ISBN 9780316045469

Publishers Weekly 03/31/2008 pg. 61 (EAN 9780439922319, Hardcover) - *Starred Review