What To Do About Alice? by Barbara Kerley

What To Do About Alice?  by Barbara Kerley

          Kerley, B. (2008). What to do about Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt broke the rules, charmed the world, and drove her father Teddy crazy! Scholastic Press. (E. Fotheringham, Illustrator) ISBN 9780545123259

What To Do About Alice?  follows the wild life of Alice Roosevelt from the age of young girl to a married woman.  Personality described by Theodore Roosevelt himself, Alice's wild personality led the President himself to say "I can be president of the United States, or I can control Alice.  I cannot possibly do both." 

Prior to reading What To Do About Alice, I had not known that Roosevelt even had a daughter!  After reading, I am glad to know more about her life.  Alice could be described as someone who enjoyed challenged social norms, and that was detailed in the book.  Her shenanigans included having a pet snake, sneaking into an all-boys club, and even jumping fully clothed into a swimming pool.  Antics as that may not be questioned very heavily today, but when Alice was alive and well, there were very much against what was considered proper.  Learning about her life, did not feel like the typical biography.  While reading the book, readers are drawn into Alice's wild lifestyle, and are eagerly reading the next page, wanting to learn about her next newest antics.  

This book was written very well.  It did not feel as if I, the reader, were learning history, which is a job well done, and that is coming from someone who does not care for history.  The way this book was written, makes it seem as if you were reading about your own friends' life, and not someone you do not know.  It also made me curious enough, that once I finished reading, I researched Alice Roosevelt because I wanted to learn more about here, and that is not something easily accomplished!  If this title was easily able to engage me, a self declared non-history aficionado, it will not have any problems engaging any reader who is Interested in learning more Roosevelt's daughter!  Alice is described as a wild, confident, yet smart girl, and that is reflected with that was reported of her during that time.

Edwin Fotheringham's art style is very fun.  Robin Updike from The Seattle Times describes his art style perfectly, by stating his style is "unabashedly retro yet edgy [and] his images are outlined in black ink and have a cool, '50s hipster look."  The retro look adds to wildness that perfectly reflects Alice's rebellious nature.  Each image adds to the dialog that Barbara Kerley wrote, and it adds up to a wondrous tale of Alice Roosevelt's life.  This book is perfect for readers of any age, though younger readers may need assistance with reading as each page does have a good amount of text.  Despite the how lengthy the title is, even young readers will be engaged with Fotheringham's art!

Kirkus Reviews perfectly sums up What To Do About Alice by stating "It's a gleeful celebration of a fully, unapologetically led life."   If you enjoyed Kerley's writing style, then I recommend you check out her other biographies, The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins and Walt Whitman:  Words for America.  After reading, you can have a discuss with younger readers about why Alice's behavior was seen as wild, and if they think that behavior would be accepted today.  For older readers, challenged them to create a presentation about Alice's life, or any other former President's children.

Awards:

• ALA Notable, Boston Globe-Horn Honor Book
• Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

Citations:

Kerley, B. (2008). What to do about Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt broke the rules, charmed the world, and drove her father Teddy crazy! Scholastic Press.

Kerley, B. (2008b, March 1). What to do about Alice?. Kirkus Reviews. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/barbara-kerley/what-to-do-about-alice/

Updike, R. (n.d.). The Seattle Times. https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19950820&slug=2137288#:~:text=What%20art%20directors%20find%20so,cool%2C%20’50s%20hipster%20look.

What to do about Alice?: The scholastic teacher store. Scholastic. (n.d.-b). https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/what-to-do-about-alice-9780545123259.html