Bibliographical citation: Fleming, Candace (2003). Ben Franklin's Almanac: Being A True Account of the Good Gentleman's Life. New York: Antheneum Books for Young Readers. 120 pages. ISBN: 9780689835490.
Awards: Best Fiction for Young Adults (2004), SLJ Best Books for Children (2003).
Author's website: http://www.candacefleming.com/
Annotation: Detailing the long and industrious life of Ben Franklin, Fleming's biography shows how his multitude of accomplishments and discoveries impacted the way of life during his lifetime and how, because of his ingenuity, Franklin's work still influences our lives today.
Personal Reaction: Appropriately formatted like a newspaper printed on a printing press, this biography carefully covers all aspects of Ben Franklin's life. Snippets of information on Franklin are provided in the form of articles that can be read independently of one another. Each chapter is dedicated to a different area of Franklin's life and is filled with photographs of his family as well as the man himself, along with handwritten letters, maps and drawings, images of his inventions and historical documents. Fleming's story portrays Franklin's love of writing and pursuit of knowledge. Ben Franklin was so many things in his time: Inventor, Printer, Scientist, Writer, Postmaster, Teacher, and the list goes on.
Although a forward thinker in many ways, Ben Franklin did not see women as equals. He loved women, but felt that they had their place both socially and educationally, and should only learn practical skills such as reading, writing, and math in that would help them with their household chores. It is important to portray these imperfections, and in doing so, Fleming has provided an account that is true to the character of Ben Franklin the man. The layout of this book enabling young readers to read one page at a time makes the text more accessible and less daunting.
Front/Back Matter: Table of Contents, Letter from Author, Year by Year Look at Ben's Life, Bibliography, Picture Sources, Books about Ben for Young Readers, Web Sites about Ben, Index.
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