Pony Grant bucked, and eight-year-old Teddy sailed through the air. He landed on his back in the dirt.

Teddy was shaking a little, but he scrambled to his feet and forced himself to mount the pony again. Learning to ride might be a tough job but he was determined to be a rough rider.

Though young Teddy was the son of a wealthy and cultivated New York family, he was no snob. He had always a warm, friendly feeling for all sorts of people. He had a grand time at the Newsboys' Lodginghouse on Sunday evenings.

Life wasn't velvet for him. He had serious handicaps to overcome. He suffered from chronic asthma. He puffed, he said, like a hippopotamus. He was nearsighted. Other boys could push him around. He didn't like that. He set himself to build up a strong body.

His father helped him. Teddy worked hard in the small gym Mr. Roosevelt gave the children. He punched the bag. He took boxing lessons from a professional. He became a good fighter. He learned to fish and to hunt. He reveled in the out-of-doors.

He had a lively curiosity; grew interested in all sorts of things. The world of nature fascinated him. He and a cousin started a "Roosevelt Museum of Natural History" with a seal's head from the fish market. When the family went abroad, he got rare specimens of birds in Egypt for his collection. He had humor and imagination, wrote stories though he couldn't spell well.

Most of the time his health prevented him from going to school. When he was able to go, he showed himself a natural leader. In a game of "Capture the Fort" his strategy won him the title of "Colonel Roosevelt."

All the time he was developing the qualities that made him a great President. He had a strong sense of fair play, always hit clean and straight. He liked to hunt big game that could put up a real fight. When he felt particularly good, he said he "felt like a bull moose." He had a wonderful relish for life and wanted everybody to have a square deal.

In delightful and exciting incidents Edd Winfield Parks, author of several popular books for boys, shows Teddy Roosevelt, the all-round boy, as father to the many-sided man who inspired a devoted following such as few Americans have ever enjoyed. 

From the dust jacket