Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos

by Robert Lawson

Paperback, 2010

Status

Available

Local notes

PB Law

Barcode

1349

Collections

Your library, LS/PAPERBACKS [PB]

Genres

Fiction

Publication

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (1988), Edition: 2010, 125 pages. (Nov 2017). $7.00.

Description

Banjamin Franklin's companion, Amos the mouse, recounts how he was responsible for Franklin's inventions and discoveries.

Original language

English

Original publication date

1939

Physical description

125 p.; 5.25 inches

User reviews

LibraryThing member relientkatie

Amos, a young church mouse, sets out to seek his fortune and takes up residence in a cap belonging to a certain famous statesman. He helps Ben learn about electricity, lends a hand in the writing of the Declaration of Independence, and even leads a mini-revolution of his own.
I liked the first half

of the book, but I felt like it got a little dull after they left for Paris. It had a lot of humor, and the illustrations were great; it just wasn't really my cup of tea, I guess. I think many kids would enjoy it, though, since it had a lot of funny moments. I'd recommend it for kids ages 8-12.

Show Less

12 more

LibraryThing member beckie05

This story is a very fanciful biography; the author creates a highly imaginative treatment of Benjamin Franklin, giving the reader another viewpoint on biography. A manuscript is revealed in which a mouse has "taken pen to paw" to expose that he is mainly responsible for Ben Franklin's

accomplishments. In the mouse’s version of history, he, not Ben, is accountable for most of the inventions, discoveries, and political successes attributed to Ben Franklin.
I liked this book because it introduces biographies to young children in a fun and new way. One extension activity that I can do is I can have my students tell me what they think Benjamin Franklin would say about this mouse taking all the credit. Also, we can watch the movie version as well after we finish reading the book.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Booklady123

Ben and Me is a fictionalized biography of Benjamin Franklin told by Amos, the mouse who lives in Ben's fur cap. According to Amos, all of Ben's accomplishment's are directly due to Amos.

Amos is the oldest of 26 church mice (their names run from Amos to Zenas.) To ease the burden on his family,

Amos strikes out on his own and ends up living in Benjamin Franklin's fur cap. He quickly determines that the famous Dr. Franklin is in great need of his advice and assistance. After helping Franklin to invent the Franklin Stove, Amos and Ben work out an agreement whereby in exchange for cheese and bread for his family, Amos will stay with Ben and give him the benefit of his wisdom.

This is a quick, delightful tongue in cheek introduction to one of America's founding fathers. It would be a great read aloud in conjunction with any unit on Ben Franklin.

Recommended for ages 9 - 12.

Mrs. Archer's Rating: 5 of 5

Show Less

LibraryThing member TnTexas

an ok book - not amazing, but not absolutely horrid either; kind of cute, in fact even if it did make Benjamin Franklin look a bit dumb

LibraryThing member BruceCoulson

A biography of Benjamin Franklin, told from a very unusual point of view. Amos, former church mouse, comes to an arrangement with Ben with Amos lodging in Ben's hat inreturn for Amos' sound advice. Definitely for the younger set, and a bit mythographic in the stories of Franklin, but entertaining

nonetheless. I can easily imagine Ben quietly chuckling over various passages.

Show Less

LibraryThing member abenne6

Ben and Me was a clever way to write the biography of Ben Franklin. The fact that the story was told by a mouse makes the story that much more interesting for children. I like the idea that they chose to give some facts but do it in a funny way. I am not much of a history person but I enjoyed

reading this book and I fee as though it would be the same way for a child. The only issue that I had with this book is that it can have children believing that Ben Franklin really got all his ideas from a mouse. This can be misleading. Although it has some non-fictional aspects it also has a lot of fictional aspects as well. It can give off a negative message about Ben Franklin. And this view can be stuck with a child and be hard to change as they get older. Overall, I thought that this was a good book for a historical fiction and that it was a clever and entertaining way to discuss the life of Ben Franklin.

Show Less

LibraryThing member SampsonK

Amos is amuse that is looking for adventure and is very smart.It all starts in a church tht is old and does not have many visitors.a conflict in this book is that they have to make the franklin stove.a problem in this book is that Ben is afraid of lightning.I like this book because of the adventure

and the eightment.I would recommend this book to anyone who likes exightment and adventure.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Othemts

I remember this story from when I was a kid, although I think I only saw the movie which I recall being less acerbic. The basic gist is the same, Ben Franklin's career as inventor, scientist, politician, and ambassador is aided by his friendship with a wise mouse named Amos. Turns out that

seemingly every leader of the Revolution and in the French court has a mouse giving advice. There is a lot of absurdity and fun wordplay that gives this book its humor while still offering an accessible view into the life of Franklin for young readers. I read it aloud to my son and he really enjoyed it.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV

Surpisingly delightful. I'm one of those people who is intimidated by 'classics' and also by historical fiction - but this was funny!

LibraryThing member danaenicole

I definitely remember reading this when i was a kid. I got through it in 50 minutes last night. It's a good way to help kids remember some things that Benjamin Franklin did in his life and some things that he said. I don't think i was ever really happy with the way this book makes him out to be an

idiot, though, giving all the credit for his accomplishments to a mouse. It's alright.

*Review written on December 20, 2014.*

Show Less

LibraryThing member electrascaife

The story of Ben Franklin as told by his friend, Amos the mouse.
I remember this one being better when I was a kid, but this time around I found the language too stilted for a kid's book, and Charlie didn't really enjoy it much, either. *shrug*

LibraryThing member ChazziFrazz

I read this in one sitting as it isn't that long of a book. I wasn't quite sleepy enough to go to sleep so reading was the ideal activity!

This is the life of Benjamine Franklin as told by Amos, a mouse. Not just any mouse, but a mouse who lived with Franklin and experienced the many events in

Franklin's life.

Amos came from a family of church mice. A family of 26 siblings. Being the oldest, he decided to strike out on his own. His chance to wind up as a companion to such a famous person suited him fine.

Amos is very self-confident and feels that without his being there for many of the historic events, things wouldn't have turned out as they did. That is not to say that Amos didn't have his own adventures that were part of history. It is just that many of the historians don't know the true stories and Amos has written his book to set the record straight.

A fun read, complete with illustrations. It can be enjoyed by any age.

Show Less

LibraryThing member bunnyjadwiga

This is a charming book, but of course the facts are rather twisted. Still, a fun read for a young person-- just remind them that just as mice can't talk, there are other parts of the story that are not factual either.

Fewer