Benjamin Franklin

by Ingri d'Aulaire, Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

Recommended by:
The American Library Association
The Child Study Association
National Council for the Social Studies

Details the life of this famous American from his boyhood as one of the youngest of seventeen children, to his teen years as an apprentice in his brother's print shop and his later years as an inventor, statesman, diplomat, and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Children and adults alike will enjoy learning about the fascinating life Franklin led from the lively text and beautiful illustrations of this d'Aulaire classic. Folk art style illustrations are enhanced with pert aphorisms from Poor Richard's Almanac on each page. Sayings include Franklin s originals like, Don t throw stones at your neighbors if your own windows are glass and Better slip with foot than by tongue and Well done is better than well said.

Readers will learn that Benjamin's father wanted him to be a candlemaker and that "it was a piece of luck that his kite experiment had not killed him." They will also come to know the inventor whose thirst for knowledge led him to constantly seek to improve the lives of his fellow men. Follow his life as a leader in the American Revolution and ambassador to both Britain and France and learn why the French hailed him as the man who "tore the lightning from the sky and the scepter from the tyrants."

Genres: History, Biography, Picture Books, Nonfiction, American History, Childrens, School

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

Ingri d'Aulaire (1904-1980) was an American children's artist and illustrator, who worked in collaboration with her husband and fellow artist, Edgar Parin d'Aulaire. Born Ingri Mortenson in Kongsburg, Norway, she studied art in Norway, Germany and France, and met Edgar Parin d'Aulaire when she was a student in Munich. They married in 1925, and immigrated to the USA shortly thereafter, settling in Brooklyn in 1929. After pursuing separate careers initially, the couple turned to illustrating children's books together, releasing their first collaborative effort, The Magic Rug, in 1931. They settled in Wilton, Connecticut in 1941, and lived there until their deaths in the 1980s. Awarded the 1940 Caldecott Medal for their picture-book biography of Abraham Lincoln, the d'Aulaires published other children's biographies, as well as some notable works on Greek and Norse mythology. (source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Kelly Barker]

We read this as part of Year 1 of Ambleside Online. Great introduction to the life of Benjamin Franklin with very nice illustrations.

[Heather Tully]

d'Aulaire books are favorites of mine to read to my children! I've read this one multiple times!

I read this aloud for our 2021-2022 educational year. Also 2025-2026 edu year.

[Rebecca Ray]

Read aloud to my children. They collectively gave it 3.5 stars.

Ellie (6 y.o): I loved it, and I thought the bathtub was really funny. That one little part when he went on a boat was the part I did not like. It was too violent.

Connor (7 y.o.): The reason I didn't I didn't like it was because someone almost drowned, and how are you supposed to get your hair out of the bathtub. I don't understand how you can wash your hair if your head sticks out. I actually like how he worked through the lightning experiment.

Emalee (10 y.o.): Reading it was a good experience to have, I guess. My favorite part is when he bought the whistle and his siblings were making fun. I learned things I never thought I would learn.

Bennett (12 y.o.): This book was amazing. I would definitely give it 5 stars. What I really learned about in this book was how he was a naughty kid at first and then he was better. I really liked that he had sixteen siblings! I didn't know that Benjamin Franklin grew up in Boston. The bathtub was cool. They thought white hair was cool, but it made them look like a really ugly female. I didn't know that he actually did get hit by the lightning (It made me think of Frankenweenie) or made a stove work properly. I also didn't realize that he was an author. I liked the story he told when they were writing the Declaration of Independence.

[♡Lily Jane♡]

Entertaining with bright, colorful illustrations. The additions of Poor Richard’s Almanac sayings made it all the more interesting.

[Summer]

Great illustrations and a great child appropriate account of his life. The boys really liked it.

[Carol Bakker]

4.5 stars
Having just completed a 800 page biography, I took this juvenile bio off my shelf to compare. I think the D'Aulaires did well reducing the facts of Franklin's life to a child's level. As always, their illustrations shine. The pages have short maxims from Poor Richards at the bottom.

Delightful sentences:

Poor Richard made Benjamin Franklin prosperous.

The Americans thought he was too slow, the English thought he was too sly.

To the French, Benjamin Franklin was the wizard of the American wilderness.

[Emma]

he lead a amazing life

[Mark]

My son really enjoyed this book. Nicely illustrated with a Franklin adage at bottom of each page. Ingri d'Aulaire children's books can be a little lengthy by today's standards but Benjamin Franklin is well-paced and kept my 4 year olds attention for the entire book. And there is nothing like a tiny tyke advising you that "Early to Bed and Early to Rise makes a Man Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise."

[Amber Smith]

Gorgeous illustrations. Lovely overview of the life of Ben Franklin!

[Leilani Curtis]

Our family's favorite d'Aulaire title so far! Read with our Beautiful Feet history curriculum. A fun overview of Franklin's life. We are reading a few other books about B. Franklin and are constantly referring back to this book.

[James Crawford]

This is another of the We the People series for younger readers, this one dealing with one of the most significant of the early leaders of America, Benjamin Franklin.

This goes into Benjamin Franklin's history, including how he had an illegitimate son, but later married someone one. He was a very intelligent man, nevertheless, and was involved not only in politics, but was also a scientist and an inventor.

At first he liked the British but, as the situation in the colonies worsened, he turned away from them and joined the patriot cause. He made major contributions to the forming of the new government, and did those while he was over seventy years old.
An interesting book.

[Elise]

I loved reading this book to my girls. This tells Benjamin Franklin's life story in a way that kids can understand. It focuses much on his young life including the conflict with his older brother that eventually forced Benjamin to move away from his family and try to make a life of his own. Franklin faced many, many disappointments in life, but he was resourceful and pressed on.

This book is beautifully illustrated. I especially appreciate the artwork when I think about the lithography process and how many steps went into making each color illustration.

My girls loved this book.

[Eagle Watcher]

Benjamin Franklin was born in1706 and was the youngest. He lived in Boston and wanted to be a writer from ages 10-11. Later in life, He married Debrah Pead. He was interested in in electricity so he performed an experiment to prove that electricity was in lighting. and existed with a kite and a key. since electricity is attracted to higher things, it hit the top of the kite then it hit the key and the electricity stopped.

[Amy Edwards]

D'Aulaire's biographies are reliably charming. The anecdote about Franklin's conversation with Thomas Jefferson over the editing of the Declaration of Independence, in which Franklin told the story of a hatter's sign and the quibbling over what should be included on his sign, is the subject of the picture book The Hatmaker's Sign, by Candice Fleming. It is fun to read them around the same time. See p. 38 for the story of the hatter.

[Jennifer]

This is the second book by d'Aulaire that I've read to my children, and they enjoyed this one very much. The story was engaging for them. They did have some prior knowledge of Ben Franklin, about his kite experiment, before we read this book. Their favorite part was when Ben was taking a bubble bath in a tub on a ship. I enjoyed reading his sayings at the bottom of the pages. I would recommend this book as a great starting place for children in K-3rd grades to learn about Benjamin Franklin.

[Tracy]

I read this with my daughter for school, but was surprised to learn a number of interesting things about one of our most famous statesmen. The illustrations were engaging -- both my daughter and I enjoyed all the small details on each page and the way the illustrator incorporated many of Franklin's sayings from his Poor Richard's Almanac into the pictures on each set of facing pages.

[Heather]

The boys loved this book. It was always their first choice of which books to read in the day. The information was clear and interesting. The illustrations very d'Aulaire. We enjoyed reading the various sayings of Franklin's listed on each page and trying to figure out what they meant and how one would say them in modern English.

Excellent choice for learning about Benjamin Franklin.

[Contemplative]

What a great read. Perfect for the early elementary child. We read this along with watching the series Liberty's Kids. We had many great discussions about the pursuit of liberty and why even Plato in his time said it's important to be educated and always ask questions so as not to fall victim to a sheeple mentality. Truth & wisdom that would serve us well even now...

[Ebookwormy1]

We have been enamored with all the d'Aulaire books and this one on Benjamin Franklin is no exception. Colorful illustrations and lively text illuminate the life of a great American.

Pages alternate between full color and line drawings. We sometimes start by selecting a line drawing for each little to color while the book is read. Otherwise, following along with the pictures is a delight too.

[Joanna]

Something about this history book for children seemed familiar. I may have seen it as a child. If not I definitely would have appreciated it. Benjamin Franklin has always been one of my favorite people in history. I enjoy the author’s writing and love the illustrations of quotes from Benjamin Franklin.

[Cindi]

We read the Abraham Lincoln book by the d'Aulaires and were impressed, so we decided to read about Benjamin Franklin too. It was wonderful to read about his part in American history with the kids. Lots of detail!

[Amber]

I've read this book aloud to my children before and just finished reading it again, this time to the younger ones. I think it's a pretty good introduction to Benjamin Franklin for young ones. We enjoy it.

[Lmichelleb]

My 6 year old son loved having me read this story aloud to him! Cleverly told tales about our well-known patriot, beautiful illustrations, and the bonus of having many of "Poor Richard's" sayings printed along the bottom of each page!

[Adrianne]

Our family read this together as part of the Ambleside Online - Charlotte Mason curriculum. We already read George Washington by the same author and LOVED IT! This one also did not disappoint. Buffalo Bill is up on our list next!

[Cassiejoan]

Another much-loved d'Aulaire book read for history this school year. My kids LOVE these books and really enjoyed this one. They are excited to visit Philadelphia now and very interested in American history. It is a good way to introduce younger kiddos to American independence.

[Lindy]

Well written. These books receive rave reviews in the homeschool community, but my kids have yet to be enchanted with them.

[Christian]

Good book!

[Meredith Henning]

Another great D'Aulaire!

[Megan B]

So far, so great. I absolutely love these D'Aulaire books. What treasures.

[Anna]

Great children's author, beautiful pictures, real history written in a conversational tone perfect for children.