Teedie: The Story of Young Teddy Roosevelt

by Don Brown

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 teeedie 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.

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Nonfiction, History, Historical, Childrens, American History

30 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2008

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Don Brown is the award-winning author and illustrator of many 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.

Reviews

[Shiloah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I wasn’t too impress with this one and the illustrations were unpleasant.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of Teddy Roosevelt's childhood. The book starts out with Teddie as a 10-year-old boy (as a child his name was "Teedie"). Though he was from a wealthy New York family, Teedie was a timid boy with asthma and poor eyesight. Teedie's father tells him, "You have the mind but you have not the body, and without the help of the body the mind cannot go as far as it should." Despite his health problems, Teedie was strong-willed, so he starts to exercise, lifting weights, riding horses and eventually learning to box. Most people think of President Roosevelt as a strong, burly and adventurous man, and would be surprised to learn of the frail, quiet boy that he once was.

Because this book is presented as a story (rather than a fact heavy biography of President Roosevelt's life) this would be a wonderful storytime read for older elementary school children. I would recommend this book especially to boys who are interested in history, or any child interested in learning about past U.S. Presidents.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teddy Roosevelt's story is a fascinating one, and inspiring in some ways. This picture book biography was interesting but I didn't find the illustrations appealing. One of my children agreed and disliked them to the point that she was put off from even wanting to read the book herself. I thought the text was fairly good for the most part. I liked how it emphasized him overcoming his physical limitations, working on his weakness, and also pursuing his interests and strengths as well. Those are good lessons to learn young. Might want to discuss that he punched someone out just for making fun of his glasses. I thought some things could have been worded better in a couple places. Maybe not as much detail in the book overall as could be nice, either. Some additional detail is in the author's note at the end.

[Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like reading different books about the same subject.

This would be a good read-aloud and introducing kids to a fascinating person.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read to a 6 year old boy who loved it, and a 3 year old boy who was interested but it was a bit too long for him. It had funny parts, the writing was perfect for age 4 and up through the elementary grades. Fun way of learning history. Theodore Roosevelt has SO MUCH in his story, as an overcomer, cowboy, father, politician, naturalist, etc. This book did a fantastic job including his childhood, family life, career (excellently illustrated to show important things like ending a war), and his personality. Frankly it was amazing that a picture book could capture so much in a way that had a great story arc and sustained the attention of a child. Gold star.

[Ahdom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had great illustrations and told the true story of young Teedie, or Teddy Roosevelt. I admire this man and wanted my kids to know of his life and remember what he had to overcome and his strengths as a leader and philosopher. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys American History or is just a diehard fan of the man who walked softly and carried a big stick. These stories are important to share with children.

[Anne Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good biography that focuses on Teddy Roosevelt when he was a child called Teedie. The illustrations are fun and childlike. Children with asthma, eye problems, or other health issues can see themselves in this boy who grows up to be a great man and accomplishes many amazing things. Teedie works hard to chase his dreams. He became president, built a canal in Panama, ended a war and won the Nobel Peace Prize. The last page lists many accomplishments of his and shows how amazing he was.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fine children's picture book biography. This one came courtesy of an Interlibrary Loan from Toledo Public Library, Toledo, Oregon. The art in here is particularly good. The title implies that this is of only the young TR. But really it touches on his whole life, though it does emphasize his younger days. And a pretty good afterword. Obviously there are bigger and better works on TR, but this is a good one.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids enjoyed the pictures and I liked the way the information was organized into bite-sized pieces as it progressed throughout Teddy Roosevelt's life and I especially liked the messages of addressing and over-coming your weaknesses.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great biography picture book about teddy Roosevelt. I really liked the illustrations--watercolor, maybe?

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great first biography for young students. I read this to my 9 year old as an introductory book as we are learning about Teddy Roosevelt.

[Erin Lisenby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lila: I kinda didn’t like this book, though I’m not sure why. I definitely did not like the illustrations.

[Mackenzie Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Speaking about Teddy Roosevelt as a child. This book allows students to link to Teddy's life as it is all about what he went through to get to where he is today! Great way to empower students while linking in history.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all know about TR, right? Rough Riders, teddy bear, once was shot in the middle of a speech and kept on talking for a whole HOUR AND A HALF, using his bleeding arm to gesture with? Made of pure, 110% unadulturated awesome? Also a conservationist and, you know, president? (One of the big ones, not like Polk or Fillmore or somebody.)

Well, you may not believe it, but back before he was awesome Teddy Roosevelt was a puny, weak, asthmatic little boy. (Apparently he never recovered from the asthma, he just lived around it. Fair enough.) No, it's true! So here is this whole book about TR as a kid and young adult and how he triumphed over his weaknesses through sheer force of will. He rides horses (and doesn't even notice his arm is broken once until several jumps had gone by, as a well-timed quote from the man himself indicates), he learns to box, he becomes a cowboy to recover from the death of his wife and his mother on the same day... well, the list goes on and on.

One note - "inspirational" tales about disability abound. Not everybody who is asthmatic or physically weak or disabled is going to be able to overcome these problems by "trying hard", and neither will all of them especially want to. This is a great book, and pretty accurate, but if you're giving it to inspire a disabled/weak/asthmatic friend, reconsider your motives. Then, when you're back to viewing this as a great true story, give it with an open heart. It's a great book. (It's a pity I even have to say this, but if you've ever been disabled you'll know how annoying it is to be told, in alternating breaths, both that you could get out of your wheelchair and walk if you wanted to/tried harder/prayed better and then that you're brave and inspirational for venturing out of the house at all.)

Also, please note that this is a lengthy book. Your younger children might not sit still long enough to get through it all. Save it for reading alone or for reading to an older crowd.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well done picture book about Teddy Roosevelt's early life. The illustrations are charming and complement the feel and text of the story. Teedie's childhood is presented clearly and honestly. Don Brown identifies Roosevelt's family as wealthy and describes Teedie's privilege. The book only makes mention of one or two of Roosevelt's adult accomplishments. It does, however, demonstrate that hard work, determination, and focus can lead to independence and accomplishment.

Be careful in presenting this as a biography to students. Traditional elementary school biography projects require that students have accurate information about their subject's adult life. This is a fine selection to use but students need to understand that it is not comprehensive or sufficient as a single source.

I also wish that a little bit more attention had been paid to Roosevelt's love of the outdoors and his creation of our national parks.

Finally, I appreciate the author's note and bibliography. Highly recommended for grades 2 (as a read aloud through 5 (as a complement to social studies lessons).

[Margaret Chind · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a recommendation from the Hewitt Homeschool Lightning Literature and Composition. I believe it is a second grade book choice. I haven't been able to find it to purchase at an affordable price yet, but finally got it through the local library swap. I thoroughly enjoyed the text and that alone would get the book five stars in my opinion but the illustrations leave something to be greatly desired. Still I will continue to look for this one to purchase as a keeper for our shelves. It is full of a wealth of knowledge for the biographical reading of Theodore Roosevelt, a truly incredible person. While this book doesn't get in on his being a policeman commissioner or conservationist, it does cover his childhood challenges to presidency and his travels at least to the west if not to the eastern continents. It is a great start and introduction and I plan to share it with my girls.

Library book. YouTube read aloud...

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very simple picture book introduction to one of the more colorful Presidents of the United States. (Make sure to read the author's notes in the back for a few more details.)

I've always found Teddy Roosevelt so entertaining, and a big part of that comes from the tales of antics his family carried out in the White House. Sadly, none of those appear in this book. In fact, his children hardly get a mention at all. BUT, I do have to remind myself that this is just the most simple of quick overviews of Teddy Roosevelt's life. If you're looking for a quick read-aloud before talking about this man in a history class, this would be a good pick. This would also be a good book to read along with a book about the first Teddy bear, or if you were just doing a quick survey of the US Presidents. If you want more details on his life, see the books recommended in the bibliography.

[Charlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Teedie was a weakling--a small boy who had asthma and would probably be a "nerd" in today's world. He loved to read and to explore the world around him. His father encouraged Teedie to be more robust and the boy recognized the need to learn to defend himself when he was bullied. At age 13, he learned he needed glasses--another bully magnet. It seems that Teedie--Teddy Roosevelt--didn't achieve the physical frame to be the hero we know until after the death of his mother and first wife. This picture book biography is a good read and will give asthmatics and/or frail children encouragement.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid and appealing effort. Factual information is broken into short blocks of text and copiously illustrated in a loose cartoon style. Much too brief treatment of Roosevelt's role as the environmental president and creator of the National Park System. "Protected the Grand Canyon and other wild places." REALLY, that's all you get for creating the national parks and turning the tide, with many other enlightened hunters, of environmental degradation and commercial hunting that were pushing hundreds of species to the brink of extinction? Oh, well...better than most of the other Roosevelt biographies.

[Christine Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a young boy, Theodore "Teedie" Roosevelt was small, had weak eyes, and frail muscles. But Teedie was also inquisitive, brave, and self-sufficient. Determined to overcome his childhood ailments, Teedie changed from a timid homebody into an adventurous man.
As a young boy, Theodore "Teedie" Roosevelt was small, had weak eyes, and frail muscles. But Teedie was also inquisitive, brave, and self-sufficient. Determined to overcome his childhood ailments, Teedie changed from a timid homebody into an adventurous man.
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919 -- Childhood and youth -- Juvenile literature

[Leon Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

SS5H3 The student will describe how life changed in America at the turn of the century.
c. Explain how William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt expanded America’s role in the world; include the Spanish-American War and the building of the Panama Canal

A great book detailing the life of Theodore Roosevelt.
A great picture book that could be used as a supplemental text. Good tool to use to introduce Teddy Roosevelt that mentions McKinley.

[Malissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like reading biographies written for children. I am now wanting to read more by Don brown. However, I thought this book fell a little flat. In the beginning it looked like Brown was trying to incorporate many quotes from Roosevelt or his family. That seemed to work. His life after college seemed rushed and not given much attention. I know the book is supposed to be about young Teddy but I wanted more. The illustrations made the book almost silly.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't find this to be quite up to Don Brown's usual standard. But still, it was much better than most biographies written for children. To me, it seemed like a pretty one-sided glorification of T.R. There were some direct quotations (which I love about Brown), but they didn't add much to the story. The "Author's Note" at the end was nearly all a re-telling of the book. Don Brown is my favorite children's history author, so my expectations were high.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fact filled fun picture book about one of our most distinctive U.S. leaders, Theodore Roosevelt. This book focuses mostly on young Roosevelt’s childhood, struggling to overcome asthma and a rather scrawny physic. The rest of the narrative flows a bit to quickly, only lightly mentioning the key points of Roosevelt’s life. An entertaining read aloud when covering presidential history with your child or just for fun.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the subtitle on my copy was "The Story of Young Teddy Roosevelt" the part I enjoyed the most was the one page author's note biography. There is a double page spread that could serve as a writing model for student biographies, depending upon whether teachers are OK with the phrase nature of this layout.

[Kristina Arnold]

A biography on one of our very famous leaders. This tells how he got his name as well as how he became known as the man we hear about today. It is very encouraging for the smaller children in the classroom. LOVED THIS BOOK!

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book on the early life of Teddy Roosevelt is very well written, contains enormous amounts of useful information that any middle grade student could understand, and is both artitically and textually pleasing. Highly recommended.

[Anna]

Fun and unique way of telling the life of President Theodore Roosevelt. As it mentions in the title, it spends a lot of time focuses on the youth of Teddy, and I think a lot of kids will find this part of his life interesting. It has great pictures, and a fun way of displaying the text.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting, factual story of Teddy Roosevelt's life. It shows how he overcame problems and went on to do great things. An inspiring message for children, or any of us really, but written to appeal to children. I will be looking for other books by this author.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great starter biography for kids - especially kids who might be weaker physically or sick (as Teddy Roosevelt himself had been). Lots of quotes and facts presented simply and with good flow.