My Word, Theodore!
How Books, Writing, and Reading Saved Theodore Roosevelt
$58.60
- Hardcover
40 pages
- Release Date
30 December 2026
Summary
The true story of how reading and writing saved Theodore Roosevelt—both literally and figuratively—throughout his life.
This nonfiction picture book for kids ages 7-10 celebrates the joys of reading and writing.
President Theodore Roosevelt was an outdoorsman, an adventurer, a traveler… and a bookworm. As a small child who was often ill, young Theodore found that books let him leave his bed and travel the world—galloping across prairies and sailing on high seas. Books taught h…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781662680618 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1662680619 |
| Author: | Kate Hannigan, Stacy Innerst |
| Publisher: | Astra Publishing House |
| Imprint: | Calkins Creek |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 40 |
| Release Date: | 30 December 2026 |
| Weight: | 567g |
| Dimensions: | 229mm x 279mm |
| Audience Age: | 7-10 |
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Critics Review
“Hannigan’s biography includes information about Roosevelt’s family life and personal tragedies, as well as political triumphs and his many contributions to his country, though she always emphasizes the importance of reading and writing throughout his life. Illustrated with stylized, evocative paintings and supported by robust back matter, this well-organized, engaging biography introduces young people to an American president who led an exciting life.”—Booklist
“Interspersing the narrative with quotes from her subject, Hannigan keeps up a peppy tone (‘Theodore always had something more to say!’) while offering readers a potentially new angle on Roosevelt. Innerst’s acrylic, ink, and digital illustrations lend a dreamy, earthy joie de vivre to Roosevelt’s love affair with words… An illuminating ode to the robust literary life of Theodore Roosevelt.”—Kirkus Reviews
“U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) stars as a serious bibliophile in this animated picture book biography from Hannigan and Innerst… A high-spirited portrait of Roosevelt as an avid reader emerges.”–Publishers Weekly
“Hannigan hits the major points of her subject’s life and career, returning always to the importance books held for him. Reading helped relieve the monotony of a bedridden, sickly childhood; writing helped him process grief. And a fifty-page speech in his coat pocket blunted the impact of an assassin’s bullet, allowing him to deliver the speech in full before proceeding to the hospital. Innerst’s textured mixed-media illustrations match Roosevelt’s energy, filling in visual details such as the many pets he kept at the White House.”—The Horn Book
Kate Hannigan
Kate Hannigan is the author of several children’s books, including:
- A Lady Has the Floor, which received four starred reviews
- Josephine and Her Dishwashing Machine, a 2024 NSTA-CBC Best STEM Book
- Nellie vs. Elizabeth, one of Smithsonian Magazine’s Ten Best Children’s Books
Kate’s other books have also made the 2022 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List, the 2023 Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year, and were nominated for the 2023 Illinois Bluestem Award, among many other honors. Her most recent titles are Rachel Carson’s Wonder-Filled World and Louisa Learns to Write.
Stacy Innerst is a painter and educator who has illustrated:
- The Book Rescuer, winner of the Sydney Taylor Award
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Case of RBG vs. Inequality, which received the New York Times/NYPL Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award
- The Music in George’s Head, which received the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration
His most recent Calkins Creek books include The Painter and the President, Joan Mitchell Paints a Symphony, What Louis Brandeis Knows, and Piece by Piece.
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