Today is Theodore Roosevelt's Birthday, our 26th President of the United States. My favorite president! Here are some great picture books about him!
Teedie: The Story of Young Teddy Roosevelt by Don Brown The author/illustrator has done many other books about historical figures, and you won't be disappointed with this one either! This covers Teddy's life all the way from childhood through the presidency. And boy, does it have some great illustrations! When Teedie is sick with asthma, you'll want to swaddle him in your arms just like his mama is doing. My favorite illustration is in a bar in the Badlands. The text reads: "When a gun-toting cowboy made fun of Teddy's eyeglasses, he flattened the cowboy with one punch." The cowboy is flying back across the room with his hat going the opposite direction. Teedie began life as a timid, nervous, sickly boy. This is his story of how he gained his larger than life persona through hard work, determination, intelligence and spunk.
The Legend of the Teddy Bear by Frank Murphy, Illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen What child doesn't love their teddy bear? This is the true story of Teddy refusing to shoot a bear who was tied up, the political cartoon that moved a nation, and the candy shop owners who named their bears after the beloved president. Said Teddy: "I don't think my name is likely to be worth much in the toy bear business, but you are welcome to use it." Boy, was he wrong about that one!!
What To Do About Alice? by Barbara Kerley, Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham This book had my daughter laughing out loud and inspired me to go find an adult book about Alice Roosevelt. In fact, the first time we read it, she had me re-read it three more times! It goes something like this: Teddy had a small problem. It wasn't bears or wars or outlaws -- but his daughter Alice. "Father called it 'running riot'. Alice called it 'eating up the world'." As a child, Alice was a handful. But Teddy's problems really began when he moved into the White House when Alice was 17. Her exploits made her tabloid fodder and earned her the nickname "Princess Alice" while a goodwill ambassador. However, Alice did grow up to become one of Teddy's most trusted advisers and had a long life in Washington politics. You've gotta read this book!
Learn More:
- The Theodore Roosevelt Association has something for everyone. Stuff for kids, stuff for teachers, political cartoons, speeches, quotations, his record -- anything you could possibly want!!
- The Theodore Roosevelt Center also has something for everyone. It has a really cool kid's section called Kids' Corral. In there you can find letters Teddy wrote to his children, things to ponder, and lots of interesting facts.
- For adults, I really enjoyed reading the Pulitzer Prize winning biography The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris. This covers Teddy's up until he wins the presidency. He wrote a follow-up book to this one that covered his presidency, called Theodore Rex (but I haven't read it yet. It's on my list of books to read!).
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