Benjamin Franklin (Giants of Science) - Softcover

Krull, Kathleen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 014751178X ISBN 13: 9780147511782

Publisher: Puffin Books, 2014

Synopsis

The electrifying biography of innovative scientist Benjamin Franklin is the perfect addition to this outstanding series!
Benjamin Franklin is a famous colonial inventor and multitasker who may be best remembered as one of America’s Founding Fathers. But he was also a “natural philosopher” (the term for scientists back in the 1700s), whose experiments led to important discoveries about the nature of electricity—including his famous demonstration that electricity and lightning were one and the same. In a fantastic addition to the much-lauded Giants of Science series, this biography sheds new light on the man who considered science his true calling in life.
Praise for the Giants of Science series:

“With an inviting, conversational narrative, this series launches with an impressive start.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review of Leonardo da Vinci
 
“The second title in Krull’s Giants of Science series meets, and perhaps even exceeds, expectations set by the debut, Leonardo da Vinci. Krull and Newton are a match made in heaven....” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred review of Isaac Newton
 
“ Another standout in a uniformly stellar series.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review of Albert Einstein

“An illuminating, humanizing portrait”—Booklist, starred review of Charles Darwin

“Krull presents another top-notch scientific biography in the outstanding Giants of Science series.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review of Marie Curie
 
“Krull lives up to the promise of the first two entries in her Giants of Science series with this lucid and thoughtful examination of Freud’s life, work, and legacy.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review of Sigmund Freud

About this title

About the Author

Kathleen Krull, the noted social historian, lives in San Diego, California.

Boris Kulikov, the illustrator of this series, lives in New York City.

From School Library Journal

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 Yorkα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journal. LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 014751178X
• ISBN 13: 9780147511782
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128
• Illustrator: Kulikov Boris