Theodore Roosevelt

What children learn in Level 27

• Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York City in 1858. As a boy, he was often sick and had trouble breathing. He worked hard to grow strong.
• He loved nature. He studied birds and other animals, and kept a little museum of nature in his room!
• As a young man, he went west, to the Dakota Territory. He worked as a rancher, rode horses, and herded cattle with cowboys.
• In 1901, he became the 26th President. He was the youngest President ever, only 42 years old!
• On a hunting trip, Roosevelt would not shoot a bear that was tied up. That wasn't fair! A newspaper drew a cartoon of it.
• A toy maker sewed a stuffed bear and called it Teddy's bear, after Roosevelt's nickname, Teddy. Soon, kids everywhere wanted teddy bears!
• Today, Roosevelt's face is carved on Mount Rushmore, next to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln.
• Your turn! Sort them. Who did it: Jefferson, or Roosevelt?
• Try it with a grown-up! Do you have a teddy bear? Tell your bear the story of how teddy bears got their name.