Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin

It always amazes me when a subject that seems to have been done to death like Benjamin Franklin can be made fresh and exciting as it is in this quite stunning introduction to America's most interesting founding father. Byrd packs what seems like a lot of textual information into this picture biography but the narrative is consistently engaging and the information never overwhelming. His illustrations are elegant and amazingly detailed. A superb accomplishment.

It looks like a picture book from the size and shape, but this biography is packed full of historical details about Ben Franklin and the historic time period.Extremely detailed in pictures and text, one learns about the man and his role in American history. The vibrant art and design is intricately detailed. This is excellent for history, science, and art. It keeps ones interest, but cannot be read in one sitting.

The ONLY thing wrong with ELECTRIC BEN is the reading level. This book has got appealing artwork and some of the best non-fiction writing for young folks that I've run across in a long while, but it's at a 7.7 Accelerated Reading Level -- which is going to mean that to enjoy fun this excellent book, many children are going to have to have it read to them, rather than read it for themselves.

ELECTRIC BEN looks like a picture book. It's got colorful, detailed art, but even better, it's got great writing about a truly fascinating American Founding Father. Unlike the aristocratic founders, Ben Franklin is very accessible. And you could argue, is one of the better role models. He's common and yet an intellectual genius. He's funny, and yet show more hard working. I love Ben, and Robert Byrd reminded me of this.

The book starts out with a general sort of biography. The author talks about Franklin's home life and how he found his trade as a printer. The author then delves into the different areas of life that Ben contributed to: politics, the militia, fire departs, literature...

Highly recommend ELECTRIC BEN. It's at a high reading level, but the writing is very accessible and if you break up reading sessions I can see reading this to a wide range of children. With early elementary aged children, I might only read the first sections about Ben's life. But older readers will be able to appreciate the latter chapters.

Great book.

Pam T~ show less

There are so many spectacular, fascinating and colorful illustrations and writings within the pages of this pictoral biography. While I learned a good amount within this short picture book, and I understand the author/illustrator's desire to include as much information as possible I found it all a bit much. The detailed (but beautiful) brightly colored illustrations throughout, the main text, and added in phrases ans quotes provide a lot of useful and interesting information, but seem a little to hectic and crowded to be able fully focus and absorb the material. It is still a great read about a famous founding father, and the detailed ink, pen, and watercolor illustrations are exquisitely rendered.
Includes author's note, timeline, and show more bibliography. show less

I enjoyed Electric Ben for two reasons. First, the author utilized different text features in order to engage the reader. These text features included pictures with captions, pull out quotes, bolded text, comic strips, glossaries, and headings. Every page included a main body of text with corresponding text features. The book's structure is extremely effective, as it allows the reader to reader to customize their reading experience.

Second, the illustrations were fantastic! The illustrator used ink and water color to make bright, highly detailed, pictures. In the middle of the book, the illustrator takes great care to sketch out some of Ben Franklin's lesser known inventions. These inventions include the long armed pole, the library show more chair, the writing chair and the armonica (a musical instrument). The illustrator even included labels (with a key) to help the reader understand how the invention worked. In this way, the illustrations play an important role in the overall structure of the book.
Ultimately, the big picture message of this book is that Benjamin Franklin was a great asset to American history. The author writes, "He was a craftsman and scientist, a writer and humorist, an inventor, a civil servant and politician, and perhaps above all a compromising thinker." show less

Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by Robert Byrd is a picture-book biography that shows how Franklin was way more than just the guy with the kite, he was an inventor, writer, and political leader in 1700s America. The book uses detailed drawings and interesting facts to explain how much he influenced science, government, and everyday life. Even though it’s meant for younger readers, the writing and artwork make it a solid choice for high school students learning about early American history.

This brightly colored book seems more small child focused than it actually is. The writing is dense and the language is sophisticated, the drawings are fun and lighthearted though, and clearly are this book's strength. It is a good transitional biography for the tween readers.