A Ben of All Trades: The Most Inventive Boyhood of Benjamin Franklin

Praise

Rosen (The Horse’s Haiku) expands a segment of Benjamin Franklin’s childhood to reveal his early motivations and character traits…A brief bibliography concludes this detailed view of a Renaissance man whose young tenacity and eventual work at his sibling’s print shop led to an extraordinarily varied adult life.
—Publishers Weekly

Tavares’s illustrations bring the rich world of 18th-century dockside to life and include details such as the colonial style of dress (bonnets and tricorn hats), tall ships docked in Boston Harbor, and Union Jack flags rippling in the breeze…this book is an excellent resource for discussions of American colonial life in social studies classrooms and beyond. History lovers will relish this glimpse into the inquisitive childhood of Benjamin Franklin.
—School Library Journal

Inspired by Franklin’s memoirs, Rosen recreates young Ben’s path to finding a suitable trade in this picture-book biography…Tavares’ photo-realistic illustrations offer charm and fine details to this blend of history and technology.
—Booklist

History class has taught us that Benjamin Franklin was an inventor, politician, and statesmen, yet what drove him to these careers? As detailed in the Author Notes, this book is inspired by Franklin’s own autobiography…The illustrations are colored drawings that provide the visual details needed to help fill in the storyline.
—School Library Connection

Before the bifocals, the lighting rod, the ambassadorship, and all the rest of his many accomplishments, Ben Franklin knew precisely what he wanted to be when he grew up: a sailor. As a child, he spends his time reading and improving his swimming skills in the nearby Mill Pond and Charles River; Tavares’s expansive illustrations show him testing his handmade paddles and even being pulled through the water by a wind-filled kite, like a human sailboat.
—The Horn Book