Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Theodore
Illustrator: Mike Wimmer
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 6 to 9
Simon and Schuster, 2006 ISBN: 978-0689865329
Because he was a sickly child, Theodore was not able to enjoy an active life and had to turn to other interests instead. He spent many hours reading, greatly enjoying stories about the lives of great men who had lived in the past. He also developed an abiding interest in natural history, an interest which would give him pleasure all his life.
While Theodore's mother praised him for his efforts to expand "the growth of my mind," his father encouraged the young boy to work at making his body stronger. Theodore worked at this with a will, determined that the illnesses of his early childhood should not hold him back and prevent him from observing and enjoying the world around him.
Always Theodore did his best to live life to the full, having fun, always learning, writing, and reading. He got into the habit of writing in a diary describing on its pages his trips west, his journeys into the mountains, the animals he saw, and the adventures he had.
In this truly special picture book biography we learn that Theodore Roosevelt had many lives. He was a thinker, a writer of books, a naturalist, a cattleman, a hunter, an adventurer, a conservationist, a politician, a soldier, a husband, and a father. He always did his best in every role that he took on, and he also enjoyed each one to the best of his ability.
