The Horn Book Guide

BIOGRAPHIES

Rosenstock, Barb

Ben Franklin's Big Splash: The Mostly True Story of His First Invention

32 pp. | Boyds/Calkins | September, 2014 | Trade ISBN 978-1-62091-446-5 $16.95

(2) K-3 Illustrated by S. D. Schindler. In the eighteenth century, hardly anyone knew how to swim, but Ben Franklin was an avid swimmer. Young Ben constructs primitive flippers, but they slow him down. Ben concludes not that he failed but that he has not yet succeeded--a philosophy that will serve him well. The text's tone is light and optimistic; Schindler's ink and watercolor paintings are lively and breezy. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014