Now & Ben

I love picture books that not only tell a story, but also share historical information with the reader!  Now & Ben The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta is one of those books.  Not only does this book share the many inventions of Benjamin Franklin, but it also shows the reader how the invention has evolved in today's society.  This story deepens one's appreciation for one of the most influential figures in American History.

It is important your child have some schema (background knowledge) about Ben Franklin before reading this story.  The story talks about his inventions and how they helped shape present day society, but it does not go into much detail about his life.  If your child does not have much schema about Ben Franklin take some time to read the book jacket with your child and talk about the words etched in the cobblestone on the cover (printer, statesman, writer, humorist, etc).

Since this story is full of information about Ben Franklin's inventions, this is a great story determine importance. When we read a text we accumulate lots of information, but our brains cannot remember every detail.  Good readers need to learn how to remember and discuss important ideas and concepts.When determining what is important in a text the reader should always be thinking about what matters most in the story.

When you share this book with your child you can use some of the following sentence stems to help your child determine importance.

• I want to remember....
• What's important here....
• Wow!  I think it is interesting that Ben...
• The most important thing I learned about Ben Franklin is....

Enjoy the story!  When you spring your clocks forward on March 12th be sure to say a thank you to Benjamin Franklin!