| Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt! (Unforgettable Americans) | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 5 reviews)
Sales Rank: 337381
Category: Book
Author: Jean Fritz
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Studio: Putnam Juvenile
Manufacturer: Putnam Juvenile
Label: Putnam Juvenile
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 128
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 4.9 x 0.5
ISBN: 0698116097
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.911092
EAN: 9780698116092
ASIN: 0698116097
Publication Date: January 27, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Today's preeminent biographer for young people brings to life our colorful 26th president. Conservationist, hunter, family man, and politician, Teddy Roosevelt commanded the respect and admiration of many who marveled at his energy, drive and achievements. An ALA Notable Book. A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt October 5, 2008
My fourth grade daughter read the book for a project on a president. Very factual information given in book. Order of organization in book is good for her age. The book has been fun for her to read and myself as well as I followed along with her.
 Where have you gone, Teddy Roosevelt, our nation turns... May 12, 2004
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
Jean Fritz is perhaps best known for her short picture book biographies of Revolutionary War Heroes. I was anxious to read this particular book, and to my great surprise found it to be much longe than her usual fare. Just the same, the book carries the same spirit and adept interesting writing Fritz has employed on her other ventures. I had some disappointments with this book, it's true, but all in all I think it's a fine biography and the best one out there for any kid interested (or required) in reading about our odd twenty-sixth President.We begin with a small sickly boy. Young Teddy (a name he accepted but disliked) was asthmatic and, as a result, of poor constitution. Pressed by his adored father to make something of himself, Ted set about exercising and pushing himself so as to become strong and tough. This man was truly an embodiment of all that was masculine. As he grew he was continually obsessed with nature, and it was assumed that he would someday go into the field of naturalism. As it happened, Teddy got waylaid and after taking some law went into politics. What was to follow was a madcap series of election losses, faithful Republican supporters, and, in time, a war. Now it is around the time that Fritz starts describing Teddy's involvement in the Spanish-American War that she loses me. What separates Fritz from James Giblin or Russell Freedman (two excellent historical biographers for children in their own right) is that she refuses to blame Teddy for anything. As a writer she obviously admires her subject, and you can see why. There was much to admire about the man. At the same time, however, this was a fairly war-hungry fella. Unlike Giblin, who has written such wonderful biographies as "Charles Lindbergh: A Human Hero", Fritz doesn't show the problems that came with Teddy's choices. There is little doubt to my mind that Teddy saw the Spanish-American War as a "just" war. There is also little doubt that it most certainly was NOT a just war. Even when it becomes clear that the American public was misled in its thinking that war was the only answer ("Remember the Maine" anyone?) and that Teddy was a part of that misinformation, Fritz ignores such controversial topics. And what of the muckrakers? Where's Teddy's famous dismissal of hard-hitting journalism? Too much is left unsaid or avoided in this book to allow it to be considered one of the great children's biographies out there. Additionally, one does have to take issue with Fritz's portrayal of the Native Americans. As a previous reviewer has pointed out, Fritz's facts (though she includes a lovely bibliography of sources) seem sketchy. Which isn't to say there isn't a lot to love here. There are Fritz's thrilling tales of Mr. Roosevelt's life. As an author, she has packed a great deal of info into this book. Everything from ponies in the White House to the origin of the teddy bear is included here. Accompanying Fritz's narration are some great illustrations by Mike Wimmer. My objection to them might be that even when we are viewing a young 20-some year-old Teddy, the illustrations are clearly of an older man. How hard would it have been to erase the waddle on the twenty-three year old Ted? Even shots of our protagonist as a boy show him with his head almost completely turned away from the viewer. It would have been nice if Mr. Wimmer had had a little more confidence in his own artistic abilities. On the whole, it's a nice book. I know I've talked it down and pointed out its inconsistencies, but in spite of my own personal feeling, Teddy Roosevelt is a subject well worthy of a biography. This, after all, was the pro-environment president. The president who fought against huge corporations and went head-to-head with J.P. Morgan. The times in which we live today could use another Theodore R. When big business is just as large as ever and the national parks Teddy created are threatened by drilling, we should look back at heroes like the one found in this book and remember that sometimes a single man can accomplish a lot in his day.
An Excellent Read! August 5, 2002
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
This was such a joy to read. I just couldn't put the book down. I had no idea that Teddy Roosevelt had an affliction that he overcame, thanks in part to his ambitious father. Until I read this book, I had no idea that Teddy Roosevelt thrived on adventure or that he collected specimens of animals. It's amazing that he managed to survive all of his adventures like he did being as sick as he was. Everything the man did was to test his endurance if not make history as well. Now I understand his push for conserving the nation's natural resources. By the time he became president, there weren't many wild animals left or trees for that matter. At any rate, this book was fun to read, especially when Teddy Roosevelt climbed to the top of Mount Marcy before the death of McKinley. It really amazed me how much energy the man had. Probably from all those treks out west when he was a boy to hunt or whatever. The gym his father built was nothing like what he faced on his many sojourns out west and to Africa. It made me dizzy to read about all those campaign stops and speeches. At first, I thought this book a little slow when I read about his early life, but then it picked up when Teddy begin serving on various Civil Service jobs and eventually gaining the Vice-Presidency under McKinney and being elected to a second term as President afterward. I highly recommend this book.
Bully for you, theodore roosevelt! April 9, 2001
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
An excellent chidren's biography of theodore roosevelt, which will be enjoyed by people of all ages.My only criticism is that the books title should be 'Bully for you, theodore roosevelt,' instead of 'Bully for you, teddy roosevelt,' a name which to him was anathema.
 Unacceptable historical errors March 6, 2001
12 out of 21 found this review helpful
Although Jean Fritz is an award winning author of history books, she makes some serious errors in this book making it unacceptable for school libraries. I love her writing style and the way she relates many humorous stories of Teddy Roosevelt's childhood, but when she relates his western adventures her historical research is seriously lacking. She refers to how the Sioux Indians killed 10,000 buffalo a feat which would have been impossible since the tribe was totally defeated, low in numbers, and relegated to reservations in the time period she described, the late 1880s. White buffalo hunters, not Native Americans slaughtered buffalo for their tongues and left their carcasses to rot. The Sioux had a tremendous respect for nature and only hunted a few buffalo at a time, just enough to feed their tribal group.These egregious fallacies make this book totally unacceptable. Children should be given historical sources that are accurate, not ones that perpetuate myths. It is unfortunate since the rest of the book is wonderful and with some judicious editing, this would be one of the best children's biographies of Roosevelt.
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