Marya Jansen-Gruber (Children's Literature)
It isn't often that we are lucky enough to be invited into the life of a man who had the curiosity of a child, the mind of a genius, who was not afraid to keep learning no matter what his age, and who was able to find humor in all manner of situations. Benjamin Franklin was such a man. Candace Fleming has created a book that allows us to explore Franklin's extraordinary life in a new way. Deciding not to write a tradition biography, she has chosen to present Franklin's life in the form of a scrapbook or almanac. This has a certain irony, for Franklin gained a good bit of his original popularity by publishing an almanac himself, entitled "Poor Richard's Almanac." Perhaps it is only fitting that his own life is presented in the form of an almanac as well. It is quite astonishing to discover in this remarkable book how much Franklin did indeed accomplish in his lifetime. Electrical experiments involving kites aside, he organized the first real postal system in the thirteen colonies, printed the first paper money, and saw, years before anyone else, that the American Revolution was going to happen. In fact, he also saw that slavery was an issue that was not going to go away; he knew that it would one day be a problem for the people of the United States. One of the wonderful things about this book is that one can pick it up and dip into the pages at random. The other is that once you pick it up, you cannot put it down. The book, looking so much like an almanac or scrapbook with an old-fashioned looking script, pictures, photographs, copies of letters and other documents, is a refreshing new look at the life of one of America's greatest men; we are able to marvel and sometimes smile at the things Benjamin Franklin did and said. Surely such a lover of books would be proud of this one. 2003, Atheneum, $19.95 Ages 10 to 14.

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2004)
Candace Fleming's fascinating portrait of a most intriguing figure in American history is inspired by Franklin's own Poor Richard's Almanack. Each two-page spread, designed to look like an almanac entry, engages readers in a particular aspect of Franklin's life. Freed from a chronological arrangement, readers can choose to dabble at will, or read from cover to cover. Either way, Franklin emerges as a complex individual of conviction and foible, a man who cared deeply for liberty, had a brilliant mind for science, and flirted and fawned (at the very least) with pretty girls. Easy-to-follow, detailed notes at the end of the volume provide the source for every item of the book's illustrated matter, which ranges from reproductions of etchings, engraving, and woodcuts, to photographs of documents and objects, to paintings that interpret historical events. There is also an extensive bibliography and and index to round out this captivating volume. CCBC categories: Biography and Autobiography. 2003, An Anne Schwartz Book / Atheneum, 120 pages, $19.95. Ages 10 and older.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 15))
How does a biographer do justice to the life of Benjamin Franklin when he lived so long and did so much? Fleming has succeeded with a scrapbook organized by topic rather than chronology: boyhood, family, writing, science, thoughts on a well-lived life, revolution, France, and "Final Remembrances." Readers can dip in anywhere and find something of interest: rules for being a better writer, an essay on "whirlwinds in his bowels," Ben's role in the fight for independence, Ben at the Constitutional Convention. The inviting format is loaded with maps, cartoons, portraits, engravings, newspaper ads, and excerpts from Franklin's writing. The timeline at the beginning of the volume helps put events in order, and the author's biographical comments are interspersed with the memorabilia. The solid bibliography for young readers and guide to Web sites will lead readers further. An excellent resource and worthy companion to more traditional biographies. (introduction, picture credits, index) 2003, Anne Schwartz/Atheneum, $19.95. Category: Nonfiction. Ages 10 to 14. © 2003 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Vicki Arkoff (Midwest Book Review, "Vicki's Bookshelf" column, October 2003)
This remarkable overview of the life of Ben Franklin will do wonders to bring the pages of history to life for elementary and middle school readers. Modeled on Frankin's own "Poor Richard's Almanack," this unique reference book is designed as a scrapbook capturing the statesman's legendary personality as well as his vast accomplishments. The loosely grouped topics contain no running text. Rather, they collect numerous sidebars that travel from his childhood memories and family album, through his scientific journals and revolutionary memorabilia, to his voyage to France and final remembrances. Numerous black-and-white images pepper each spread period illustrations, portraits, newspaper clippings, flyers, political cartoons, artifacts and more -- adding tremendously to the appeal of the high-interest American figure. The nature of the subject is engrossing enough, but the fascinating elements reported here is what makes "Ben Franklin's Almanac" so much more engrossing than the average historic reference book for children. Who can resist Franklin's tongue-in-cheek anatomy chart that falsely told na‹ve readers they could predict their future by analyzing the functions of their body parts? Or his boyhood experiment of skinny-dipping while flying a kite to sail across a pond? Or stories of his womanizing in "sinfully extravagant" France? More than anecdotal, the zigzagging collection of stories serve to make the legend immediately accessible to young students who will find themselves. 2003, Antheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster, $19.99.

Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 2003 (Vol. 57, No. 1))
Fleming spreads a smorgasbord of thematically arranged information about the Founder’s life and invites readers to sample their fill and come back for more at their leisure. Six chapters cover all the expected highlights--boyhood, family, writings, philanthropy, scientific endeavors, wartime politicking, life abroad, and miscellaneous remembrances--and the grazers’ approach works reasonably well for topics such as institutional establishments (e.g., library, hospital, fire department) and inventions and experiments (such as the “Franklin” stove, bifocal eyeglasses, the mathematical magic square). Casual browsing, however, is unlikely to allow readers to integrate dispersed observations on the toll the Revolution took on Franklin’s relationship with his Loyalist son, or to appreciate just how many irons the Renaissance man kept in his fire at any given period. Although Fleming dangles promises of some of Franklin’s spicier journalistic fare, kids will probably find his scientific proposal for removing odor from flatulence relatively bland, and quotes such as “He that is conscious of a stink in his breeches, is jealous of every wrinkle in another’s nose” plain abstruse. Limited attention spans may, nonetheless, be tempted by the lavish inclusion of period illustrations (exhaustively credited), generously quoted documents, easily digestible servings of boxed data, and varied font and type size, and readers who want to retrieve an item lost in the patchwork text can generally rely on the detailed index. Consider this an appetizer for David Adler’s B. Franklin, Printer (BCCB 2/02), but not a main course. Review Code: Ad -- Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area. (c) Copyright 2003, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2003, Schwartz/Atheneum, 120p, $19.95. Grades 5-10.

Sherry York (VOYA, December 2003 (Vol. 26, No. 5))
This informative, readable biography presents the many facets of Franklin's life and personality in a scrapbook format. Eight sections include Boyhood Memories, Family Album, Writer's Journal, Tokens of a Well-Lived Life, Scientist's Scrapbook, Revolutionary Memorabilia, Souvenirs from France, and Final Remembrances. In a two-page introduction, the author explains how she went about writing this biography, and a four-page chronology introduces the basic facts of Frankin's life. End matter includes a detailed bibliography of sources that the author used. Picture sources provide specific information about the origin of each illustration. The list of Web sites for further information is annotated. This nontraditional biography is worth reading regardless of the reader's familiarity with Franklin's life. Teachers of science, history, and literature will find relevant supplemental material in this book. With references to the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, printing, counterfeiting, dictionaries, experiments and inventions, the Gulf hot-air balloons, magic squares, armonicas, mastodon bones, postal system, volunteer fire departments, virtues, newspaper writing, slavery, and much more, this book would serve well as the basis for cross-curricular instruction. Although the publisher's interest level destines this biography for the ten- to fourteen-year-old, the author's straightforward presentation of information and matter-of-fact tone make it interesting reading for older readers as well. VOYA CODES: 5Q 3P M J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Atheneum/S & S, 128p.; Index. Illus. Photos. Maps. Biblio. Source Notes. Further Reading. Chronology., $19.95. Ages 11 to 18.