Ben Franklin's Big Splash

Ben Frankin's Big Splash by Deborah Underwood 

Published: 2015

Ben Frankin's Big Splash is a historical fiction book that tells the story of a young Ben Franklin and his first invention inspired by his love for swimming. This book follows Ben as he creates, tests, refines, and retests different inventions to make him better able to swim like a fish. 

Response: Ben Frankin's Big Splash is a great book that gives a new lens into the life of the famous Benjamin Franklin. Within the story, readers are able to experience a young Ben, and the thoughts and ideas he had at a young age. This book is a fun and creative historical fiction book that young readers would be able to learn many different lessons from. Ben is frustrated that he is not able to swim as well as a fish. Instead of accepting that truth, he asks questions, studies how fish move, and sets out to create a tool that will enhance his ability to swim. After lots of trial and error, Ben creates human swimming fins. This concept would be a great lesson to teach students to not give up, and to challenge the things they feel challenged by. This book is also relatable for many students. Oftentimes, when you study Ben Frankin, it is the latter portion of his life that children cannot relate to. This book makes Ben Frankin seem real, relatable and that his accomplishments are attainable to young children. The writer's craft includes different colors, sizes, and formats of the text which is a great way to engage students. This concept can also be utilized as a mentor text when teaching text manipulation to students. Lastly, this book includes an educational author's note about how this early invention began the path of success Ben Frankin would embark on, as well as a timeline that outlines the key components of his life. This would be beneficial for deciphering between fictional and nonfictional elements, as well as for discussing the history and different stages that shaped Ben Frankin and his life. 

Example of framing within the text

Analysis: Ben Frankin's Big Splash uses many of the illustration strategies which are outlined in the article Comprehension Strategies for Reading  Historical Fiction Picture Books (Youngs & Serafini, 2011). First, the pages are set up as both full-bleed and framing illustrations. The use of these strategies were significantly intentional. The illustrator used framing when the narrator was telling the story, and wanted the reader to have more of an outside view or attachment to the story. The illustrator used full-bleed illustrations when the reader was inside of Ben's head or his thoughts and ideas. This was important because the illustrator was able to encourage the reader to be in Ben's head with him and experience his thought process alongside him. Lastly, the article discusses the concept of offer, which is practiced in this book. Offer is when a character looks directly at other characters or objects within the story, rather than making direct eve contact with the reader. This approach is used to position the reader as a spectator who is observing the story as it develops. The use of the offer technique was intentional because the author was telling the story from a narrator's perspective. Since the narrator was telling the story as it unfolded, the offer technique ensures that the reader is also watching the history unfold from a distance alongside the narrator.