A Picture Book of Benjamin Franklin

A Picture Book of Benjamin Franklin

By David A. Adler and illustrated by John & Alexandra Wallner

Appropriate for ages 1 – 5

Genre: Biography

Have you ever heard of the name Benjamin Franklin, but wondered what he was famous for? Well in this biography of Benjamin Franklin, you found out what he accomplished in his life, from owning his own print shop to help write the Declaration of Independence. See what else happened in Benjamin Franklin’s life to make him one of the most well-known historians of all time.

In A Picture Book of Benjamin Franklin, we learn about the life of Benjamin Franklin. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1706, and he was one of seventeen Franklin children. His father always hoped that Benjamin would grow up to become a minister, but Benjamin had other dreams. Since his family was poor, Benjamin had to be pulled out of school and began to work in his father’s soap and candle shop, which he didn’t enjoy. Benjamin loved reading and writing so he was put to work at his older brother’s print shop where he set type and ran the press. As Benjamin Franklin got older he moved to Philadelphia where he met his future wife, Deborah Reed, who he had three children with, William, Francis, and Sarah. At 22, he set up his own print shop and published a newspaper called The Pennsylvania Gazette. Later be became the official printer for New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. After he retired from the printing business, Benjamin Franklin spent his time in public service, inventing, and experimenting. He became an active citizen when he set up fire and police departments, set up the first lending library, and the first hospital in America. His inventions include the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses, and a long arm to reach books on high shelves. But his most known invention was the lightening rod where he proved lightening is electricity by experimenting with a kite during a thunderstorm. In 1775, Benjamin attended the Second Continental Congress and was chosen to help write the Declaration of Independence. In his final years, he wrote his autobiography where he spoke out against slavery and worked to outlaw it. At the age of 84, Benjamin Franklin died on April 17, 1790. As one of the most famous historians of all time, Benjamin Franklin was known as a printer, writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, and lastly, a great American.

This was a very good biographical picture book. It gave great details of Benjamin Franklin’s life and accomplishments through a picture book that children could understand. If I was giving a lesson on historian Benjamin Franklin, I would use this book because it covers all the information from his early childhood to his death. I really like the illustrations because they were very detailed and went perfect with the words. Overall, I think this picture book did a great job giving an accurate portrayal of Benjamin Franklin and his life.

This picture book would be great to read to children during a lesson on Benjamin Franklin. They will learn what his accomplishments were and how his inventions help us today. Biography is an important genre in children’s literature, and this book will show children how a biography takes them from the person’s birth to their death in a story format. And being a picture book, children will be more entertained and probably comprehend it better than if a teacher was just lecturing about the life of Benjamin Franklin. And a book like this could provide a variety of activities that the children can do after. They could create a timeline of Benjamin Franklin’s life through the events in the story as a whole class, small group, or individual activity. They could read other biographies of Benjamin Franklin and make a Venn diagram comparing the similarities and differences of the books. By reading this book, students will both gain the knowledge of historian Benjamin Franklin and understand the elements of a biography.

Massachusetts ELA Frameworks

Key Ideas and Details

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas