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Benjamin Franklin was an incredible figure in American history, through his inventions like the stove, bifocals, and the lightning rod, his international scientific reputation, his innovations in colonial culture like libraries and fire halls, and his immense contributions to American independence through his ambassadorships in England and France. His The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (see my review) makes for fascinating reading.
However, if you want to know the true story about Franklin, the real source of many of his greatest contributions, you need to read Ben and Me, written by Amos the mouse, who was helped in the writing by Robert Lawson. Probably Amos was too short to hold the quill! Lawson also did all the illustrations, which are worth the price of the book itself and are outstandingly amusing. The book is hilarious, as narrated by Amos, showing his contributions to things that made Franklin famous. There may even be one or two incidents that Amos relates that don’t appear in Franklin’s official Autobiography…
Ben and Me is a lovely book to be read by an upper elementary school student as a wonderful literature supplement to a unit on the American Revolution or as just a stand-alone book. I guarantee that the student, boy or girl, will like it! Because of the lively language, humor, and illustrations, Ben and Me is also a wonderful read-aloud for the whole family.
Robert Lawson (1892-1957) was born and raised around New York City and served in World War I. He and his wife lived most of their life in Westport, Connecticut. He is the only person who has won both the Caldecott Medal and the Newbery Award. He is probably most famous for Rabbit Hill and its sequel, The Tough Winter. He also wrote and illustrated several other books in the same vein as Ben and Me on Paul Revere, Captain Kidd, and Christoper Columbus. These three are all worth reading but, in my opinion, are not as good as Ben and Me. Lawson also illustrated a lovely abridged version of The Pilgrim’s Progress.