A Review of Becoming Ben Franklin: How a Candle-Maker’s Son Helped Light the Flame of Liberty

By Russell Freedman

* Note: This blog fulfills a course requirement at TWU.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Freedman, Russell. Becoming Ben Franklin: How a Candle-Maker’s Son Helped Light the Flame of Liberty. New York: Holiday House Publishers. 2013. ISBN: 0823423743

PLOT SUMMARY

Freedman crafts a tale that presents a true, well-researched picture of a young, rebellious teenager who ran away from his family and an apprenticeship in Boston to Philadelphia in 1723. He was the fifteenth of seventeen children. He arrived in Philadelphia virtuously penniless stating, “I was very hungry, and my whole stock of cash consisted of a Dutch dollar and a shilling in copper.” He immediately met his future wife, 15 year-old Deborah Read, who thought young Ben had a “most awkward and ridiculous appearance.” Even though he only had two years of formal school, he excelled at reading and writing. He quickly found work as a printer where he first published Poor Richard’s Almanack in 1733. From there, he formed a group of bright young artisans and tradesmen he named Junto, meaning conference, who met every Friday night. This group made civic improvements with America’s first lending library, lighting Philadelphia’s streets and founded a firefighting company, Philadelphia’s first college and hospital. He had made enough money to retire at 44, but continued his work inventing bifocals. The lightning rod and the Franklin stove among others. He played an active major role in the formation of the new nation, signing all the documents that resulted in the creation of the United States. This book includes portraits (reproductions) engravings, and newspaper pages that highlight the life of this remarkable man.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Freedman has created a wonderful teaching tool for one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin. His story was very interesting and I learned a lot more about the man I thought I was familiar with. This book would be a great tool for teachers. It comes with a timeline of Franklin’s life, source notes, picture credits, and a selected bibliography. The portraits Freedman incorporates into his book help to paint a vivid picture of the life of one of the greatest Americans. Highly recommended!

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Russell Freedman is one of the most honored writers for children having one the Newberry Medal, three Newberry Honor Medals, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Awards, the Sibert Medal, the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award and a National Humanities Medal.

School Library Journal - “Tracing Franklin's life chronologically, the author chose episodes that reflect how the young man, disgruntled with being his brother's apprentice, made a life for himself, and how he became the figure who is revered today. By describing the obstacles Franklin overcame in establishing his print shop in Philadelphia, Freedman delineates a clear path between his subject's early ambition and his ease with people to his success in business and then to his later roles as a diplomat, revolutionary, and public servant.” 

Booklist – “Freedman traces Franklin’s life and work, showing how a mischievous boy became a rebellious apprentice, then a successful colonial printer, and finally an influential figure in the world and a pivotal figure in his nation’s founding. Along the way, Franklin informs and amuses his countrymen with Poor Richard’s Almanac, heats them with his stove design, enlightens them through his experiments on electricity, and protects them by inventing the lightning rod.”

CONNECTIONS

Read other excellent biographies on historical figures or books on historical events:

·                     Bolden, Tanya. Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty. 2013. ISBN: 1419703900

·                     Stone, Tanya Lee. Courage Has No Color, The True Story of the Triple Nickels: America's First Black Paratroopers. 2013. ISBN: 0763651176

·                     Brown, Don. The Great American Dust Bowl. 2013. ISBN: 0547815506

As well as other Russell Freedman books:

·            Freedman, Russell. Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship. 2012. ISBN:  0547385625

·            Freedman, Russell. The War to End All Wars: World War I. 2013. ISBN: 0544021711

And many more

A Review of We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

By Kadir Nelson

* Note: This blog fulfills a course requirement at TWU.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nelson, Kadir. We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball. Forward by Hank Aaron. New York: Jump at the Sun - Disney Publishing/Hyperion Books for Children. 2008. ISBN:  0786808322

PLOT SUMMARY

This is a beautifully-written book about the triumphs, tragedies, hardships, segregation, and low pay that these marvelously gifted African-American athletes went through and overcame to play the sport they loved – baseball. These leagues mirror a dark time in American history and the social and political struggles that black Americans endured. The book is divided into nine innings, or the length of a baseball game and walks the reader through the history of the league during a time when black baseball players were not allowed to play in the major leagues. The title of the book was gleaned from a statement by the founder of the Negro National League, Rube Foster who said, “We are the ship; all else the sea.” The book covers the early years of the league through Jackie Robinson’s breaking the color barrier in the major leagues in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The narration is told through the eyes of someone who seemingly lived through that era passing on these wonderful stories to his children and grandchildren. Nelson’s poignant oil paintings bring these colorful characters to life and the tales of greats, such as Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige show the camaraderie that the players developed showcasing their talent in the league. Even though their story is sullied by bigotry and racism, the true heart of the story is the joy the men felt playing a game they loved.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The book is rated for children grade 3 and up. This is a history book of sports that everyone can easily embrace. The artwork is outstanding and helps to paint a vivid picture of the league and its’ players. The story depicts a harsh time in American history and parents should discuss these issues with their children prior to reading the book. This book could be used in a classroom as a history lesson on the harsh realities of racism and bigotry in this country and the great athletes that fought so hard to overcome those barriers. This is a story that needs to be told so that the names of these players and the path they traveled will not be easily forgotten. These stories serve as a tribute to the great players who played the game and the spirit they possessed. Highly recommended.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

2009 Sibert Medal

2009 Coretta Scott King Award for Authors

School Library Journal - “A lost piece of American history comes to life in Kadir Nelson's elegant and eloquent history of the Negro Leagues and its gifted baseball players. The history of the Leagues echoes the social and political struggles of black America during the first half of the 20th century.”

Booklist – “Award-winning illustrator and first-time author Nelson’s history of the Negro Leagues, told from the vantage point of an unnamed narrator, reads like an old-timer regaling his grandchildren with tales of baseball greats Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and others who forged the path toward breaking the race barrier before Jackie Robinson made his historic debut.” 

CONNECTIONS

Read other similar history books of the racial struggles in America:

• ·         Weatherford, Carole Boston. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom (Caldecott Honor Book) 2006. ISBN: 0786851759

• ·         Wiles, Deborah. Freedom Summer. Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue. 2005. ISBN: 068987829X

As well as other Kadir Nelson books:

• ·         Nelson, Kadir. Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans. 2013. ISBN: 0061730793

• ·         Nelson, Kadir. Nelson Mandela. 2013. ISBN:  0061783749

A Review of Actual Size

By Steve Jenkins

* Note: This blog fulfills a course requirement at TWU.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jenkins, Steve. Actual Size. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company 2004. ISBN: 0547512910

PLOT SUMMARY

Actual Size is a fun fact-filled book that features illustrations by the author of the actual size of insects, animals, and fish. This allows the reader to compare their hand to the hand of a gorilla, or see the actual size of a giant squid’s eye, or look in amazement at the two-foot long tongue of the giant anteater. The illustrations of the creatures are made from colorful cut-paper collages. Of course, some of the creatures are too big for the page, so only parts of the creature are featured, but others, like the Goliath bird-eater tarantula is featured in its entirety. Interesting facts about the creatures are included on each page, such as “the Alaskan brown bear is the largest meat-eating animal that lives on land [at] 13 feet [and] 1,700 pounds.” This is a rather large book and some pages fold out to encompass the larger-sized animals, such as the saltwater crocodile. Each page introduces one or two species from the smallest fish, the dwarf goby at ½ inch, to the largest bird, an ostrich at 9 feet tall and 340 pounds. At the end of the book, the 18 creatures featured are illustrated on a smaller scale with interesting facts about how the species survives.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This is an excellent book for comparison of the sizes of creatures on our own self, as well as an introduction to many different species that share our planet. I read this book to a 3 year-old and she was enthralled by the pictures, counted the toes on the elephant’s foot, and let out a growl at the sight of the Siberian tiger. The inquisitive nature of a child is sated by an array of colorful creatures brought to life in wonderful artwork by the author. Similar to many of Jenkins' other books, Actual Size is a great teaching tool and a fun read.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Amazon - Jenkins' collages capture the texture and color of these cut-out creatures, and the thoughtful inclusion of an illustrated index shows each animal in its scaled-down entirety, accompanied by longer, fact-filled descriptions. While younger kids might not appreciate the subtlety of the book's clever "actual-size" trope, readers young and old will love all the close-up views and learn a few things along the way. (Ages 4 to 8)

School Library Journal - The end matter offers full pictures of the creatures and more details about their habitats and habits. Mixing deceptive simplicity with absolute clarity, this beautiful book is an enticing way to introduce children to the glorious diversity of our natural world, or to illustrate to budding scientists the importance of comparison, measurement, observation, and record keeping.

CONNECTIONS

Read some of Steve Jenkins’ other books:

·         Jenkins, Steve. Prehistoric Actual Size. ISBN: 0618535780

·         Jenkins, Steve. Biggest, Strongest, Fastest. ISBN: 0395861365

·         Jenkins, Steve. Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest.  ISBN: 061849488X

·         Jenkins, Steve. Almost Gone: The World’s Rarest Animals. ISBN: 0060536004

And many others

Ø  These books are wonderful introductions to spark a child’s interest in wildlife and the natural world!