Close your eyes and imagine a man on horseback, high on a hill, the sun beating down on his wide-brimmed hat.

Dust swirls around his boots as he turns to shout orders.

His voice is sharp and full of energy.

Bullets whizz past, but he doesn't flinch.

He stands tall in the saddle, waving his hat in the air, calling his men forward. You're watching Theodore

Roosevelt at the Battle of San Juan Hill. He looks more like an old-time cowboy than a soldier,

but he's leading the charge, fast, fearless, and full of fight. You can feel the heat, the

sweat, the fear in the air, but Roosevelt seems to love it. His glasses are

slightly crooked and his mustache twitches when he grins. He laughs as he rides up the hill

as if this moment is exactly where he's meant to be. Around you, soldiers shout and follow

his lead. You don't even know him, but you feel braver just watching him.

That's the kind of man he is, someone who turns danger into courage, someone who believes deep down

that no challenge is too big if you meet it head on. Theodore Roosevelt was not a big or strong

child. In fact, he was very sick when he was young.

He had asthma, which made it hard for him to breathe. Sometimes he would wake up in the

middle of the night, gasping for air. His father would take him for carriage rides late at

night, hoping the fresh air would help him breathe better. But even with his illness,

Theodore had a big heart and a curious mind.

He loved books. He read everything he could find. He especially loved books about animals and adventure.

He kept notebooks full of facts about animals he learned. He even made his own little museum in his room with animal bones and bugs he found. As he got older, Theodore decided he did not want to stay weak.

His father told him, you have the mind, but you must make your body.

That meant he needed to work hard to become strong. So he did.

...