Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Theodore Roosevelt: The Adventurous President
Nonfiction
For ages 7 to 9
HarperCollins, 2005 ISBN: 978-0060576066
Everything that Teddy Roosevelt did he did with great energy. When he decided that he had to make is body strong he worked hard in his home gym for several hours every day until he succeeded in making his body robust and healthy. When he came up with the idea of creating a natural history museum at home, he did that with great enthusiasm leaving a snapping turtle in the bath tub and storing toads under his hat while the hat was still on his head.
This way of doing things did not change when he grew older. As the police commissioner of New York City Teddy fought hard against corruption and graft even going so far as to go out on the streets to see for himself what was happening and to make sure that his policemen were doing their jobs. Later, as President, Teddy fought against monopolies even though his actions made him very unpopular with the men who ran big business. In short Teddy was not afraid to do something that he thought was right no matter how unpopular it made him.
This excellent early reader biography is written with great energy and enthusiasm, in a very Teddy-like style in fact. Packed with interesting facts and photographs of Teddy, his family, and his world, young readers will quickly become engaged in the life of one of America's most interesting presidents.
At the back of the book readers will find an interview with one of the people who work at Sagamore Hill, Teddy's old home, which is now part of the National Park Service.
