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Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
Author:
Byrd, Robert
Illustrator:
Byrd, Robert
Biographee:
Franklin, Benjamin
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Class:
Biography
Age: 5-8
Language: English
Demand: Moderate
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LC: E302.6
Grade: K-3
Print Run: 15000
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ISBN-13: 9780803737495
LCCN: 2011050493
Imprint: Dial Books for Young Readers
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Pub Date: 09/13/2012
Availability: Available
List: $17.99
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Hardcover
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Physical Description:
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1 v. (unpaged) : ill. (some col.) ; 32 cm.
H 12.31",
W 9.44",
D 0.35",
1.0625 lbs.
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LC Series:
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Brodart Sources:
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Brodart's For Youth Interest: Popular
Brodart's Insight Catalog: Children
Brodart's TOP Juvenile Titles
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Bibliographies:
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Children's Core Collection, 22nd ed.
Children's Core Collection, 23rd ed.
Children's Core Collection, 24th ed.
Robert F. Sibert Award Honorees
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Awards:
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Booklist Starred Reviews
Boston Globe/Horn Book Award Winners
Horn Book Fanfare
Horn Book Guide Titles, Rated 1 - 4
Horn Book Starred Reviews
Kirkus Best Books
Kirkus Starred Reviews
Library Media Connection Starred Reviews
Notable Children's Books, ALA
Publishers Weekly Starred Reviews
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Starred Reviews:
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Booklist
Horn Book
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly
~Library Media Connection (Retired Journal)
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TIPS Subjects:
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Government
Inventions/Patents
Science, General
Biography, Individual
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BISAC Subjects: |
JUVENILE NONFICTION / Biography & Autobiography / Historical
JUVENILE NONFICTION / Biography & Autobiography / Science & Technology
JUVENILE NONFICTION / History / United States / Colonial & Revolutionary Periods
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LC Subjects:
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Franklin, Benjamin,, 1706-1790
Franklin, Benjamin,, 1706-1790, Juvenile literature
Inventors
Inventors, United States, Biography, Juvenile literature
Oversize books, Specimens
Printers
Printers, United States, Biography, Juvenile literature
Scientists
Scientists, United States, Biography, Juvenile literature
Statesmen
Statesmen, United States, Biography, Juvenile literature
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SEARS Subjects: |
Franklin, Benjamin,, 1706-1790
Inventors, United States, Biography
Printers, Biography
Scientists, United States, Biography
Statesmen, United States, Biography
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Reading Programs: |
Accelerated Reader Level:
7.7
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Points: 2.0
Lexile Level:
1050
Reading Counts Level:
8.4
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Points: 5.0
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| Annotations |
| Brodart's TOP Juvenile Titles | 09/01/2012 |
| Many people consider Ben Franklin to be the very first true American celebrity. Take a look at this amazing man who invented bifocals, helped frame the Constitution, and performed groundbreaking experiments with electricity. 40pp., Color Ill. |
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| Starred Reviews: |
| Booklist | 10/15/2012 |
| Grades 2-5. Large in format and ambitious in scope, this appealingly designed book spotlights Benjamin Franklin and his times. Each double-page spread presents an aspect of Franklin's life, moving chronologically from Ben's Beginnings and School Days through The Scientific Amusements and The Natural Philosopher to The American in Paris and Liberty and Justice for All. The topical approach allows for tightly focused discussions exploring facets of this complex man. Introducing him as a scientist, writer, inventor, philosopher, publisher, and statesman, the text clearly communicates a sense of Franklin's personality along with his varied experiences and accomplishments. As well researched as the text, and often given as much space on the page, the detailed ink-and-watercolor artwork creates a distinctive period look for the book and delivers plenty of historical information visually. Many pictures illustrate scenes literally (colonial firefighters attempt to save a house on fire), but others are more symbolic (Franklin standing atop the earth, surrounded by icons representing his scientific accomplishments). While several illustrations of varied sizes sometimes appear on the same spread, the overall effect is very pleasing. Best suited to advanced individual readers or one-on-one read-aloud sessions, this informative biography offers a vivid, striking portrayal. Phelan, Carolyn. 40p. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2012. |
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| Horn Book | 11/01/2012 |
| Intermediate. With a jacket showing Benjamin Franklin as a cross between a mad scientist and a superhero standing amid wild lightning bolts and surrounded by all manner of electrical devices, this book shimmers with excitement, begging to be read. Byrd divides Franklin's life into seventeen often whimsically labeled double-page spreads, beginning with his childhood and ending with his death. Two such spreads ("Coaxing Sparks from the Sky" and "The Wonderful Effects of Points") deal with his fascination with electricity, with the remainder covering topics ranging from his ideas for social progress (such as a lending library and fire department) to his diplomatic roles before, during, and after the American Revolution. An informative, exploratory, nonpandering text ("Franklin's expertise lay in making the most of the printed page, delighting those who agreed with him, and disarming those who did not; always keeping all parties anticipating his next move") is set on an attractive page layout. Nicely developed and designed spot art and larger illustrations on every page serve as internal explanatory notes, providing tangential information, giving more detail to certain ideas, and presenting a visual record of Ben's life and times. An author's note, timeline, bibliography, and recommended readings complete the book. betty carter. 40pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2012. |
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| Kirkus Reviews | 08/15/2012 |
| A beautifully realized labor of love and affection brings to life one of our brightest founding fathers. Ben Franklin's multiple geniuses might be too large to be contained in a simple narrative, but Byrd finds a way to convey with warmth and enthusiasm an appreciation for the long and influential life that Franklin lived as printer, inventor and statesman. Byrd's sparkling marriage of text and illustration lowers the barriers to comprehending the brilliance, energy, passion and inventiveness of this early American phenom. Four generously wide columns across each opening offer a space for the straightforward, clear-voiced narrative accompanied by full-color, captioned artwork--sometimes several illustrations on a page--along with charming, brief inset quotations from Franklin's writings. The design evokes the two-columned early newspapers that Franklin might have known. Byrd's prose is respectful of his young readers and sophisticated at the same time, providing historical and cultural context for events and significant moments in Franklin's life and selecting from a very big life the stories that best convey a sense of the personality and character of the man. The artwork and distinctive design must stand as markers for readers who want to return to specific places in the text, as there are neither page numbers nor an index. However, a comprehensive timeline and bibliography will serve young scholars well, and the author's notes add to an understanding of both Franklin and the historical record about him. A work of breadth and energy, just like its subject; engaging and brimming with appeal for a wide audience. (Biography. 8-14). 40pg. KIRKUS MEDIA LLC, c2012. |
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| Publishers Weekly | 08/20/2012 |
| Ages 5-8. Byrd pushes the bounds of the picture-book format in this exhaustive exploration of the life of Benjamin Franklin--dense blocks of text vie for space with Byrd's meticulously inked and detailed illustrations, as well as the many aphorisms for which Franklin is known ("An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"). There's a wealth of information to be found within, as Byrd covers Franklin's early printing days (including humorous anecdotes about pseudonymous letters and gossip he would publish), his publication of Poor Richard's Almanack, and his involvement in the scientific and political spheres. It's a fascinating and comprehensive portrait, and an asset for student research. (Sept.). 40p. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, c2012. |
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| ~Library Media Connection (Retired Journal) | 05/01/2013 |
| Grades 3-6. Author/illustrator Robert Byrd presents highlights of the long and varied life of one of America's most famous citizens in this picture book biography. He has presented Ben Franklin's life as a visual and written narrative that promotes Franklin as a representative of colonial American interests, lifestyles, and philosophies. The book relates Franklin's life as a printer, inventor, scientist, electrical wizard, frontier conciliator, and ambassador to England, all careers Franklin had prior to his impact on the founding of a new nation. The well-researched and numerous pen and ink and watercolor illustrations provide a window into scenes of American life, thus also creating a visual history of the time. Captioned illustrations appear in a variety of patterns on each two-page spread. The size, scope, and general appearance are reminiscent of Ingri and Edgar d'Aulaire's picture biography of Franklin. Bibliography. Timeline. Marion Mueller, Library Media Consultant, Starr Academy, New London, Wisconsin. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. 40p. ABC-CLIO, INC., c2013. |
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| Journal Reviews |
| Horn Book Guide | 05/01/2013 |
| 1. 4-6. Byrd divides Franklin's life into seventeen whimsically labeled double-page spreads covering topics ranging from his fascination with electricity to his ideas for social progress to his diplomatic roles. Informative, exploratory, nonpandering text is set on attractive pages; spot art and larger illustrations provide information and present a visual record. This book shimmers with excitement, begging to be read. Reading list, timeline. Bib. bc. 40pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2013. |
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| School Library Journal | 10/01/2012 |
| Gr 4-6--In the 1738 edition of Poor Richard's Almanac, Franklin printed this aphorism: "If you would not be forgotten/As soon as you are dead and rotten,/Either write things worth reading,/Or do things worth the writing." He succeeded admirably, as indicated by the ample catalog of Franklin biographies written for young readers from notables including Jean Fritz, James Cross Giblin, and Candace Fleming. Electric Ben represents a proficient but flawed addition to an already-crowded shelf. Using lucid phrasing and appealing detail, Byrd breaks the main narrative into two-page sections, each roughly related to an episode or subject. Unfortunately, excessive design elements and Byrd's fussy ink-and-watercolor illustrations threaten to overwhelm the informative text. Highlighted aphorisms and spot illustrations peppered throughout each page clutter the design and disrupt the flow of the author's readable account of Franklin's astonishingly fruitful life. The vibrant artwork shifts between intricately rendered tableaux and conceptual illustrations packed with symbols and biographical references, the latter, replete with celestial bodies and waves of energy. Finicky captions, which turn some of the electric-hued pictures into stealth diagrams, offer yet more facts and quotes. Byrd makes a few perplexing choices in his narrative, such as including only minimal mention of Franklin's wife, and identifying his illegitimate son, William, as adopted. In general, while the text may convey the wealth of Franklin's writing-worthy achievements, the visuals prove too frenetic even to capture the boundless energy and creativity of that consummate printer-author-scientist-inventor-statesman.--Robbin E. Friedman, Chappaqua Library, NY. 40p. SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, c2012. |
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9780803737495,dl.it[0].title
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