This narrative style biography of President Theodore Roosevelt reads like fiction and pulls the reader into the story. Starting when Teddy is a boy, the author provides insight into all the illnesses he was forced to endure and the wonderful advice his father gave him. This advice helps our 26th President throughout the rough times in his life, especially after the death of his beloved father, mother and 1st wife.
At an early age, Teddy liked to do things a little differently. He enjoyed watching and analyzing birds, insects and mammals and this joy grew to studies and dissections of all sorts of critters, much to the horror of his mother and housekeeper. They never knew what they would find when they opened the icebox, cupboards or his bedroom. Sounds like a typical boy in any age to me. Later in life, he marries, has a daughter but loses his wife just after the birth, ran away to the west and fell in love with the plains. All that within just a few years which is enough for any person but Teddy has so much more life to live.
Although polite society during Teddy’s age considered local politics beneath them, Teddy felt that to be a good politician, he needed to start with “everyman” and get an understanding of the basic problems of the masses. So, even though he was wealthy, he entered local politics and caused an uproar on both sides of the tracks. His political future was struggling along but he continued to have his regular life of going, studying, hunting and so on.
The author does a great job portraying the President as a go-getter who truly deserves the numerous nicknames he still holds. Rough and tumble Teddy describes this man perfectly. While studying American History, this book is a great way to engage tweens and interest them in the person behind the title.
Standards: Louisiana H-1B-M13 Era 6: The development of the Industrial United States (1870-1890). H-1B-M14: Describe the effects of industrialization on the United States. H-1B-M15: Describing the economic, social, cultural and political changes that have occurred in the 20th Century.
Awards and Recognitions:
Age Range: 9 to 13
Fritz, J. (1991). Bully for you, Teddy Roosevelt. New York: G.P. Putnam & Sons.
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