Teedie: The Story of Young Teddy Roosevelt

by Don Brown

Overview

Teedie was not exactly the stuff of greatness: he was small for his size. Delicate. Nervous. Timid. By the time he was ten years old, he had a frail body and weak eyes. He was deviled by asthma, tormented by bullies. His favorite place to be was at home. Some might think that because of these things, Teedie was destined for a ho-hum life. But they would be wrong. For Teedie had a strong mind, as well as endless curiosity and determination. Is that all? No. Teedie also had ideas of his own—lots of them. It wasn't long before the world knew him as Theodore Roosevelt, the youngest president of the United States.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544932494
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/04/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.70(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	NC860L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Don Brown is the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction and Sibert Honor–winning author and illustrator of many nonfiction graphic novels for teens and picture book biographies. He has been widely praised for his resonant storytelling and his delicate watercolor paintings that evoke the excitement, humor, pain, and joy of lives lived with passion. School Library Journal has called him “a current pacesetter who has put the finishing touches on the standards for storyographies.” He lives in New York with his family.

booksbybrown.com

Instagram: @donsart

Editorial Reviews

"Brown’s characteristically vigorous scrawls capture both the scrawny boy and the bulldog of a man, infusing his vignettes with a sizable helping of wit. All in all, this is a spot-on introductory book for lower grades."—Kirkus Reviews "Line and wash illustrations add movement and a playful tone to the serious text, which generously incorporates quotes from Roosevelt . . . An author’s note concludes this brief overview and may well encourage youngsters to learn more about this fascinating figure."—School Library Journal, starred review
". . . vignettes of scratchy pen-work that capture humor and drama with equal ease—and shows Teddy’s progression from a wispy twig into a big stick . . . a more kid-friendly hook in the young man whose determination trumped his boyhood shortcomings."—Booklist
"Brown’s signature watercolors follow the text and, on the final page, provide a potent instructional summation as President Theodore Roosevelt stands at the bully pulpit while a hand-lettered text proclaims his accomplishments."—Horn Book
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From the Publisher

Brown (Mack Made Movies) shapes an impressionistic portrait of Einstein in his early years, opening with comments of family members gazing upon the newborn (his grandmother says he is "much too fat" and "his mother fears his head is too big"). Writing in the present tense, the author shares anecdotes that reveal young Einstein's character: his temper tantrums scare away his tutor; he brings "a single-minded attention" to such pastimes as building elaborate houses of cards; his parents so encourage his independence that they allow him to wander the streets of Munich alone at the age of four; and the boy early on displays an extraordinary skill at and fascination with mathematics (though other schoolwork bores him). True to the book's title, Brown emphasizes ways in which Einstein fails to fit in with his peers. He dislikes sports, is disturbed rather than excited at the sight of soldiers parading in the street and, as the only Jewish student in school, is taunted by his classmates. The writing occasionally becomes muddy when discussing Einstein's scientific thinking and discoveries ("He says that everything is in motion and when something moves very fast, as fast as light, strange things happen, like clocks running slower and objects becoming shorter"), targeting the book more to kids who identify with the hero's personality traits than to those interested in the man's ideas. But Brown's narrative and appealingly quirky pen-and-ink and watercolor art effectively illuminate the eccentricities and intelligence of Einstein the boy and the man. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 2-5

Teedie led a privileged life in one of New York City's wealthiest households, but was a sickly child. His asthma didn't stop him from being curious or from reading widely (at least, about things that he found interesting), but his father nonetheless encouraged him to build up his physical strength. He worked hard and had at least one boxing success. Teedie became Teddy when he entered Harvard University in 1876. After graduation, Roosevelt sought his own way and continued on his own course in spite of personal losses (or perhaps because of them). He traveled, became an outdoorsman, a politician, and ultimately the youngest president of the United States. Line and wash illustrations add movement and a playful tone to the serious text, which generously incorporates quotes from Roosevelt. (These are not attributed, but it is assumed that they are drawn from sources provided at the end of the book.) An author's note concludes this brief overview and may well encourage youngsters to learn more about this fascinating figure. Lead them to Betsy Harvey Kraft's Theodore Roosevelt: Champion of the American Spirit (Clarion, 2003), which presents a fuller portrait illustrated with photographs.-Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at Washington DC Public Library

School Library Journal

The author/illustrator of many celebrated picture-book biographies (Dolley Madison Saves George Washington, 2007, etc.) turns his attention to the frail, timid boy who became our athletic youngest president. Young Teedie was thin and undersized, and "the Roosevelts' wealth couldn't protect him from asthma." Teedie's parents encouraged him to "make his body" as well as his mind; by the time he reached adulthood he was broad-shouldered and strong. The author gracefully touches upon the adult Roosevelt's successes, including the highlights of his presidency, but focuses most on the strengths Teedie had from the beginning-a good mind and "boundless curiosity"-choosing kid-pleasing details and allowing his protagonist to speak directly through well-chosen and age-appropriate quotes from Roosevelt's writings. Brown's characteristically vigorous scrawls capture both the scrawny boy and the bulldog of a man, infusing his vignettes with a sizable helping of wit. All in all, this is a spot-on introductory book for lower grades. (author's note, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews