Frank Keating (1)

Will Rogers loved adventure from a very young age. He traveled from coast to coast reading and looking for new things to learn. Everyone he met became his friend because of his laughter and kind heart.

"Theodore" by Frank Keating is a excellent story book about the life of our late president Theodore Roosevelt. The story is written at about a 2nd or 3rd grade reading level, but the actual story itself can be enjoyed by all ages. The beginning of the book starts off by telling the story of Theodore's life as a child, how he was a illness stricken boy since birth and spent most of his childhood inside reading books about his heroes. The book then takes a turn and tells the reader about show more Theodore's life as a teen and in his 20's, how he traveled and observed animals that he loved. The book then closes in his years as a adult and the great accomplishments he gained through out his life. All in all, "Theodore" gives the basic out line of Roosevelt's life that readers of all ages can enjoy. show less

Gorgeous paintings and strong book design. The text is *very* concise which means this book could be shared with chldren as young 5, I think. My amazing dad thinks WR was a great guy but I never knew more than scraps about the man - when I saw this on display at the library I grabbed it hoping for more - but I'm not satisfied and will have to find something a bit more thorough. Recommendations welcome...

This beautifully illustrated picture book biography captures the spirit, as well as the depth and breadth, of Will Rogers, legendary comedian, entertainer, actor, pilot, politician, and philosopher of the early 20th century. The book begins with Will’s humble beginnings on his father’s ranch in Oklahoma and ends with an illustration of a newspaper clipping of the plane crash that tragically ended his life. The pages between briefly touch on the many aspects of Will’s life, from his show more love of learning to his love for his wife and children, from his passion for aviation to his ability to connect with all types of people and make them laugh.

The text, just a few lines per page, provides a sketch of the man, rather than a detailed history of his life. There are no dates or years in the text, however each page does include a quote from Rogers. The text is presented as typewritten notes on the left side of the page with detailed photo-realistic paintings on the right side of the page. Some illustrations are based off of famous photographs of Rogers, while others come from Wimmer’s imagination.

The only thing I would add to this book would be back matter with more information about Rogers, such as a chronology timeline of his life and a further reading list. However, the author does include a short bibliography of quotation sources on the copyright page.

Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2012/07/book-202-will-rogers-american-legend... show less