Nonfiction: What to do About Alice?

Title: What to do About Alice? 

Author: Barbara Kerley 
Illustrator: Edwin Fotheringham 

Genre: Nonfiction   

Major Awards: Sibert Honor Book, Irma Black Award Honor Book, Washington State Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award, New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

Age Group:  8-11 years old

What to do About Alice? tells the story of first daughter Alice Roosevelt. Alice Lee Roosevelt was the daughter of the 26th President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt. As the story goes, Theodore Roosevelt always had one small problem and her name was Alice. Alice was always eager to travel, meet new people, and have new experiences. Her father Theodore Roosevelt considered this "Running a riot" whereas Alice called it "eating up the world". Ever since Alice was little, she ate up the world, in everything she did. Alice loved to row across the bay to have picnics on the beach, she would prance around pretending to be a horse, she loved rolls and tea, and love to read and drink her tea while her father told her stories of those whom he had met. Alice wasn't like most girls, while the other girls in town were attending boarding school, wore dresses, and behaved prim and proper Alice wore pants and wanted a pet monkey. When her mother passed and when she had to wear braces on her leg she never wanted anyone feeling sorry for her. Alice loved to walk the streets of Washington and joined an all-boys club who would dress in disguise to meet with her when her father found out she threatened to send her to boarding school. Alice really didn't want to go and her dad didn't want to see her unhappy so instead, Alice came up with a solution herself.  Alice asked her father to let her loose in his library, her father agreed, and while there Alice read and learned about everything. She also became very interested in politics and was so excited when her father became president. She use to stand outside of the White House and greet her fathers guest with her pet snake. As the president's daughter, Alice was the goodwill ambassador and traveled meeting people from all around the world. Seeing as how Alice was in the public eye her father always warned her to beware of publicity, but her name was splattered across headlines.  Everyone loved Alice. Songs were written about her, parents even named their children after her, she had a color named after her, and the newspapers called her princess Alice. The older she got Alice never stopped "eating up the world" she traveled and lived every minute of life to its fullest. Some thought that she was "outrageous" and her father Theodore Roosevelt always used to say " I can be president of the United States, or I can control Alice I cannot possibly do both". Alice was at times a lot for her father to handle and even after his passing he never quite solved what to do about Alice?

What to do About Alice was such a fun loving book that I think would make an excellent addition to any 3rd-6th-grade classroom library. Alice Roosevelt was such a lively person! Throughout the entire time I was reading the book I couldn't help but smile at all of Alice's antics, and I think that is exactly why students will love this book. Although the book doesn't directly connect to a lesson, this book is so fun and light-hearted and I think students will really enjoy reading it independently, or even as a class for enjoyment. Hopefully in reading it, it will put a smile on students faces as it did mine and encourage them to "eat up the world".