Details the life of this famous American from his boyhood as one of the youngest of seventeen children, to his teen years as an apprentice in his brother's print shop and his later years as an inventor, statesman, diplomat, and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Children and adults alike will enjoy learning about the fascinating life Franklin led from the lively text and beautiful illustrations of this d'Aulaire classic.
Folk art style illustrations are enhanced with pert aphorisms from Poor Richard's Almanac on each page. Sayings include Franklin s originals like, "Don't throw stones at your neighbors if your own windows are glass" and "Better slip with foot than by tongue" and "Well done is better than well said."
Readers will learn that Benjamin's father wanted him to be a candlemaker and that "it was a piece of luck that his kite experiment had not killed him." They will also come to know the inventor whose thirst for knowledge led him to constantly seek to improve the lives of his fellow men. Follow his life as a leader in the American Revolution and ambassador to both Britain and France and learn why the French hailed him as the man who "tore the lightning from the sky and the scepter from the tyrants."
"In Third Grade I wrote a book report on the d'Aulaire's Ben Franklin book. I still have that book report and the book itself! The d'Aulaire picture books are enchanting and unforgettable. I well remember their books on George Washington, Buffalo Bill, and Abraham Lincoln as well. They capture and celebrate the ineffable innocence and magic of childhood in a way I've simply never seen equaled." -- Eric Metaxas
