Module 11-Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin

Module 11-Informational Books

Informational Picture Book

Now & Ben:  The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta

ISBN:  978-0-8050-7917-3

 

Audience (according to Kirkus Reviews):  Ages 5-9

Barretta, G. (2006).  Now & Ben:  The modern inventions of    
     Benjamin Franklin.  New York, NY:  Henry Holt and Company.

Pricing (as of 11?12)

*Amazon:      Hardcover:  $13.10

                        Paperback:  $7.99

Book Summary

            In this vividly illustrated book by Gene Barretta, the reader is clearly shown how the inventions of Ben Franklin have influenced items that are used today.  The clever play on words “Now” and “Ben” (instead of “then”) is used throughout the book.  Items such as today’s newspaper are placed alongside Franklin and a copy of his Pennsylvania Gazette; electric gadgets are placed on the “now” side of the page with the “Ben” side showing Franklin’s famous kite experiment with electricity.

APA Reference

Baretta, G. (2006).  Now & Ben: The modern inventions of Benjamin Franklin.  New York:
     NY:  Henry Holt and Company.

Impressions

            Barretta uses brightly colored, cartoon style illustrations to grab the young reader’s attention.  Objects of high interest and familiarity to those in the lower elementary grades are shown to be products of Benjamin Franklin’s amazing work.  The language is clear without being dull or overly simplistic.  The author also includes Franklin’s contributions to today’s way of life via his writings and his creation of institutions such as the post office and the fire department.  While this book was designed as an informational picture book for students in the younger elementary grades, those in the 4th-6th grades would also learn a great deal about a Founding Father while remaining entertained by the artwork.

Professional Reviews

            << Gr 2-5-- A clever, concise introduction to the contributions of this colorful colonial figure. The first spread depicts Franklin standing proudly by his family home with his wife and children smiling from within. His various occupations-writer, printer, diplomat, musician, humorist, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humanitarian-are written on the cobblestones beneath him. Next is a spread of a busy city street today, which challenges readers to guess which modern conveniences are owed to the subject's creativity. Subsequent spreads take a closer look at each invention from political cartoons, bifocals, electricity, lightning rod, and Franklin stove to daylight saving time and more. Each spread features a "Now…", description of a modern concept or convenience facing an early "Ben…", idea. "Now every automobile has an odometer to measure the distance it travels. Ben… invented the odometer when he was postmaster general so he could measure his postal routes." The fanciful final spread depicts a futuristic scene with flying-saucer vehicles and robot servers, which encourages youngsters to imagine how today's inventions will evolve in time. Engaging and humorous watercolor cartoons depict just how Franklin's inventions were conceived and developed. The yellow mottled endpapers are filled with sketches of the inventions featured within. Both Aliki's The Many Lives of Benjamin Franklin (S & S, 1988) and Rosalyn Schanzer's How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning (HarperCollins, 2003) offer more background and biographical information, though this lively offering is sure to inspire readers to learn more about its fascinating subject.

Auerbach, B. (2006). Now & Ben: The modern inventions of Benjamin Franklin. School Library Journal, 52(3), 206-206. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com.

<<Sunny cartoons juxtapose now and then in a lighthearted exploration of how Benjamin Franklin's inventions have survived into the modern age. Although "invention" is a little broadly construed--are political cartoons and Daylight Savings Time, strictly speaking, inventions?--it's a pretty impressive collection of achievements: The Franklin stove and lightning rods, of course, share space with bifocals, odometers and swim fins. The illustrations are genial enough, and use a lightly humorous touch to make their points (Ben offers an obviously distressed sailor a lime to stave off scurvy). A clean organization that opposes "Now" on the left (dominated by modern blues and greens) and "Ben" on the right (dominated by yellows, Ben's blue coat standing out) aids in the presentation of the information. It's an enthusiastic enough effort, but, in an anniversary year bound to be chock-full of Ben Franklin books, such flaws as the absence of suggestions for further reading make it no more than a marginal purchase. Rosalyn Schanzer's How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning (2003) covers much of the same territory but does it much better. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-9)

Now and Ben: The modern inventions of Benjamin Franklin. (2006). Kirkus Reviews, 74(3), 128-128. Retrieved from http://kirkusreviews.com.

Library Uses

         A librarian could demonstrate how books on the same subject can be on a variety of reading levels and formats and yet serve the same purpose.  This title could be joined with titles such as DK’s Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Franklin: Young Printer (Childhood of Famous Americans Series), Benjamin Franklin (In Their Own Words Series), and Jean Fritz’s What’s the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?  Reading teachers covering the biography genre would appreciate the librarian showing students that there informational books for all levels.  The cross-curricular tie-in with Social Studies makes a lesson such as this useful on a several levels.  A display with books on famous Americans that covers multiple formats and reading levels would further illustrate the lesson taught and will encourage students to try to reading non-fiction books for the pleasure of learning about a person and not because they are required to do so for an assignment.