Customer Reviews

Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ben Franklin's probably the #1 subject of picture book biographies that cross my desk. He's picturesque -- both visually and as a bio subject. This is the first book I've chosen to review, however, because of its clever format and quirky execution.

On one side is "Now" -- the modern amenities we take for granted, such as odometers, second hands, bifocals, lightening rods and even public libraries. The "Ben" side shows Franklin puttering, tinkering, and hunkering down over his inventions, which include all of the above, plus charting the Gulf Stream, organizing the Post Office, and all that fun with lightening and kites and stuff.

Such a clever fellow, that Ben!

And that's not even getting into his statesmanship and political thinking, which the author treats lightly to focus on the man's inventive genius.

The "Now" side of the page is perky and vibrant in bright blues, while Franklin's 18th century half is awash in faded siennas, the color of aging documents, except for Ben in his blue coat, creating a visual link between our era and his.

I know from the brief time I lived in a Philly suburb how omnipresent are the many reminders of the man's influence, from Indepedence Hall to the Franklin Museum. The city's infused with awe for the man who was arguably our nuttiest Founding Father. But aren't the oddballs the ones you most want to know?

Like Barretta, a Philly resident, you won't be able to resist getting better acquainted.

This book has great illustrations. The students I teach spent time looking through all of the details. The stories are accurate and include a fun sense of humor. Students from grade 4-6 also enjoyed the book.

My children (ages 6 - 10) loved the story of Ben Franklin. They enjoyed learning of Ben's inventions and it was fun to talk about how they have evolved over time. The children especially loved the last scene depicting how things will evolve as they grow older. The illustrations and colors on every page were great for the imagination and provided so much insight to every part of the story. Great Job. A+

Mr. Barretta offers an abundance of pages that make this book a worthwhile purchase. Properly bound, the hardcover edition is chock-full of finely detailed drawings that will grab your child's attention.

Packed with illustrations and information about Benjamin Franklin, Now & Ben offers readers, both young and older, insight into our nation's most creative Founding Father!

At turns surprising and common sensical, this volume, a generous 40 pages, continues to stimulate and entertain my children (and me!) with Franklin's contributions that permeate our lives daily.

Great, great book about a very interesting man. For a homeschool unit study we are learning all about Ben Franklin and this has been my kids' (10 and 5) favorite book we have read. The illustrations are just wonderful- you see something new each time you flip through this book. My 10 year old loves the illustrations so much that she is tracing the image of Ben Franklin right now so that she can color him in and include the image in her report!
The book begins with an illustration of Ben in the middle of a modern day city, the book ends with him standing the middle of a futuristic city. This was a great way to show the kids how much things have changed since Ben's time- and how much more they might change in our lifetime. Great book- would love to see more from this very talented author/illustrator. Plan to order his Neo Leo soon!

As I home schooling family we are always on the look out for books that teach history in a fun and exciting way. Now and Ben The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin is not only well illustrated but also made it easy for children to understand how the past directly impacts modern society. The author chronicals the many inventions of Benjamin Franklin. I would highly recommend this book for kindergarten through third grade. I noticed some reviews said that it could not be purchased in paperback but we did order it from Amazon in that format.

This book has great illustrations of the inventions of Benjamin Franklin and how they have evolved into our world today.

This book is suggested reading for grades 2-5 but my 4 year old can't get enough. The drawings spark his imagination in ways that simpler books never could. He may not understand the significance of Benjamin Franklin but I am delighted that he wants to learn more about the inventions that shape our society.

As the book opens, the endpapers display a timeline noting Franklin's numerous inventions and progressive ideas.

Barretta's opening illustration depicts Franklin's many roles as a writer, diplomat, printer, musician, postmaster humorist, scientist, inventor, traveler, philosopher, cartoonist, statesman inscribed on cobblestones while Ben stands on the cobblestones, framed in a style reminiscent of the one hundred dollar bill.

The book describes Franklin's inventions and concepts and depicts how those ideas are still in use in the present.

Experiments with lightning lead to the invention of the lightning rod. A store clerk uses the Grabber for grabbing a box of cereal that is out of reach, while on the opposing page Franklin uses his Long Arm to reach a book high on a shelf.

His See Far/See Near became today's bifocals and his improvements to fireplace design helped move smoke out of houses. He designed the first clock with a second hand and as the reader looks at a school bus driver checking the mileage on the odometer and we see Ben's odometer on a cart which was used while he was postmaster general to measure postal routes.

Barretta shares the information with humor. We see an alarm clock buzzing at 6 a.m. with the moon still high in sky while bleary eyed kids struggle to struggle to wake up. Franklin advocated the idea of daylight savings as a means to save candles and gain more daylight for farmers.

Benjamin Franklin is the Founding Father of choice to study in depth here in 5th grade. His extraordinary life lends itself to many areas of the curriculum. This is terrifically engaging nonfiction picture book that would be great fun to share with students.

This cleverly written and nicely illustrated book was enjoyed by my son, and taught me several things about Ben Franklin I didn't know! It shows how Ben's cool ideas are still in use today, without feeling like a history lesson.