Benjamin Franklin

Gr 4–6—In this volume in the series, Krull focuses on Franklin's passion for science and his drive to make scientific knowledge useful in everyday life. Despite the fact that his achievements as a statesman were more extensive ("a list of Franklin's political achievements would fill a bigger book"), he viewed science as his true calling. In a lively, even "gossipy," style, the author emphasizes Franklin's experiments—for example, investigating the flow of warm and cold air, electricity, health, optics—and the resulting useful applications—the Franklin stove, the lightning rod, the cure for scurvy, bifocals. Krull's forte is to connect what readers know with what they are learning. She tells them that Franklin was a "superb networker," making connections with the best-known thinkers of his day. In fact, he developed his own "information superhighway." Kulikov's pen-and-ink illustrations support Krull's friendly approach, showing a young Franklin being propelled across a pond by a kite and an older Franklin enjoying a bath in his portable tub while engaged in conversation. For teachers and librarians looking for text sets that discuss point of view or the style and organization of information, this book can be effectively combined with Robert Byrd's Electric Ben (Dial, 2012), Candace Fleming's Ben Franklin's Almanac (S & S, 2003), and David A. Adler's B. Franklin, Printer (Holiday House, 2001).—Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York