Nonfiction and Biography-Review

What To Do About Alice?

By: Barbara Kerley

Illustrated By: Edwin Fotheringham

A. Bibliographic Data

Kerley, Barbara. 2008. What To Do About Alice? Ill. by Edwin Fotheringham. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

ISBN: 978-0-439-92231-9

B. Plot Summary

What To Do About Alice? is a biography about the childhood and upbringing of Alice Roosevelt, who was the daughter of the president Theodore Roosevelt. The book explains that Alice loved to break the rules, or as Alice liked to put it in her terms, "eating up the world." The book takes the reader through the life of Alice, from childhood all the way up to the point in her life after her marriage. The book points out several major points in Alice's life where she broke the rules, or lived her life a little bit outside the box, as well as major points in her father's life Theodore Roosevelt.

C. Critical Analysis

What To Do About Alice is a funny picture book biography. The reader finds oneself laughing about all the different adventures Alice went on. The story shows how brave and courageous Alice truly was. She liked to march to her own beat of her own drum. One of the most interesting parts of the book is when Alice received her leg braces and how she dealt with wearing them. What To Do About Alice encourages readers to look deep down inside and find who they truly are, and to "eat up the world."

Edwin Fotherinham's illustrations are made from a color palette of mostly greens and blues. Alice however in a lot of the illustrations is wearing red. The expressions he places on the faces of the characters in the book lets the reader know what they are feeling.

D. Awards Won

*The Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

*Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
*Irma Black Award Honor Book
*Parents Choice Award
*Washington State Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award
*California Collections
*A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
*A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
*A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
*An ALA Notable Book
*Capitol Choices
*New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

Booklist Review-"Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was.... Kerley's text has the same rambunctious spirit as its subject, grabbing readers from the first line.... The large format gives Fotheringham, in his debut, plenty of room for spectacular art."-Booklist Review

E. Connections

*Have students complete an author study over Barbara Kerley and investigate other picture book biographies she has wrote.

*Students research other facts about Theodore and Alice Roosevelt.

*Students create a timeline about Alice Roosevelt's life.