The author of So You Want to Be President? (2000) opens a series of closer looks at turning points in the lives of future Chief Executives with this lively and handsomely designed account of Teddy—or “Teedy,” as he was then known—Roosevelt’s youth. She finds several watershed moments for puny, unathletic Teedy, from his discovery of the Great Outdoors, to a commitment to exercise inspired by this father’s observation that “you must make your body,” and an encounter with bullies that impelled him to take up boxing. She also highlights his love of natural history, introduces his parents and siblings, and chronicles the Roosevelt clan’s travels to Europe and Egypt. Faulkner captures Teedy’s boundless energy and determination in detail-rich scenes of the lad with his close, plainly well-to-do family, surrounded by his collections of animal specimens, and demonstrating his hard-won athletic prowess to a crowd of admiring relatives. Closing with a quick look at Roosevelt’s presidency and after, this makes a rousing tale of obstacles overcome. (afterword, bibliography) (Picture book/nonfiction. 8-10)
