Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos (Paperback)

~ (Author) "SINCE THE RECENT death of my lamented friend and patron Ben Franklin, many so-called historians have attempted to write accounts of his life and his..." (more)
Key Phrases: fur cap, white mice, Poor Richard, Madame Brillon, General Washington (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In A New and Astonishing Life Of Benjamin Franklin As Written by His Good Mouse AMOS, young readers will discover that while the good Mr. Franklin got considerable credit, many of his most important contributions really originated with Amos, a less-than-humble rodent. Oh sure, his manuscript was found by author-editor Robert Lawson and published first in 1939, but discerning readers ever since have figured that it's the mouse who's the fellow with the ... tale. (For ages 10 and up with a sense of humor)

From Publishers Weekly

The remarkable life of old Ben Franklin is related with wit, warmth and wisdom by Amosa mouse who has a way with words. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 114 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (April 30, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316517305
• ISBN-13: 978-0316517300
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,935 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #16 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Biographies > United States
  #37 in	Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > United States > Fiction > Colonial

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn While Laughing, May 31, 2001

By	oddsfish (Winters, TX) - See all my reviews

Ben and Me is a delightful biography of Benjamin Franklin written by Robert Lawson. The novel is marvelous for children. It is educational. It teaches a lot about the founding of the country and mainly about one of the men who made it possible. Ben and Me is fabulously entertaining. Amos's own adventures are thrilling, and his stories about Ben are hilarious. Any child or adult with a sense of humor will laugh at this book. Anyone who reads this book will learn while laughing. Robert Lawson was the author and illustrator of many great children's books, but Ben and Me was probably the best, and it will be around for many years to come.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ben and Me, April 14, 2007

By	Anna M. Ligtenberg "AnnaLovesBooks" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin As Written by His Good Mouse Amos (Paperback)

ISBN 0440420385 (which now belongs to another book) - Really well-done, tongue in cheek "biography" of Benjamin Franklin, a man who is "undeniably stupid at times", according to Amos, the mouse, whose brilliant ideas seem to be all that stand between Franklin and certain death with his crazy experiments.

Amos, oldest of 26 children, comes from a family of church mice. Knowing how hard it is to feed such a brood, Amos sets out to try to find some way to help his family and stumbles into the home of Ben Franklin. Ben is sneezing away in a room thick with smoke from the fireplace until Amos gives him almost every detail Ben needs to create the famous Franklin Stove. Thrilled to have such a great mind at hand, Franklin works out an agreement with Amos and the two go on living and working together. When the Revolutionary War takes a financial toll on Washington's army, the two go to France to borrow from the French and Amos is able, with a great deal of help, to save one beautiful female mouse named Sophia and her seven children. After this final adventure, Amos is ready to settle down to a quiet life in his old age and thinks Ben should, too.

The back cover says the book is for ages 8-12. I think it might be a little tough for 8 year olds, with a large number of big words, but it's amusing enough that an 8 year old might make the effort to learn the words and expand their vocabulary. For the parents who worry about every little word in every book their kid reads, there's a couple disparaging "stupids" and one sentence that has Ben Franklin "tossing off" a shot of brandy. For those who just want their kid to enjoy a book and learn new words, this one's WELL worth it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revisiting an old friend, November 29, 2001

By	Aileen J. Dingus - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Through the years some books stay with you. Some in the forefront of your memory, some sit quietly in the dusty corners, like treasure chests left by tiny pirates. Ben and Me is a treasure chest in the dusty corners of my mind. It must be 25 years since I first read it, but I recently discovered that I could tell much of the story by memory to my son who is engrossed in a Benjamin Franklin project for school. The fierce mouse battle, the towering wigs worn by the ladies of the court, Ben's old fur hat with the holes in it... so many vivid and wonderful memories.

A great read for the kids who rooted for Wilbur in Charlotte's Web or those who zoomed along with Mr. Toad in Wind in the Willows.

Now- where did I put my copy??