Review

These biographies are written in a kid-friendly, chatty style. All provide brief general information about the featured subject. The type is large, the sentences are easy to read, and the backgrounds uncluttered, making them good choices for beginning readers. They're also suitable for classroom read-alouds. The boldly colored illustrations were digitally rendered and encompass full spreads. The captions present interesting extra tidbits about the person. An additional bonus is a link to the Fact Hound Web site, which contains links to sites for further information. These biographies are similar in reading level to the "First Biographies" series (Capstone/Pebble) but those books are illustrated with photos and reproductions. Nettleton's titles are twice as large and more visually appealing.-- "School Library Journal"
Benjamin Franklin: Writer, Inventor, and Statesman is a picture book biography for young gifted readers written by Pamela Hill Nettleton. The illustrations by Jeff Yesh are colorful and highlight the fact that the French people loved Ben Franklin. Poems and songs were written about him and crowds of French citizens followed him as he walked down their streets. A colorful timeline at the end of this colorful biography accentuates Franklin's role as the only American to who signed all four of the great documents that created the American nation from 13 separate British Colonies: the Declaration of Independence, Treaty of Alliance (France joins the war for American Independence), Treaty of Paris (English recognition of America as free, sovereign, and independent), and the Constitution of the United States. Other outstanding end notes include numerous kid-proof and safe web sites about Franklin, a bibliography, and a useful index. Here is an extremely TAG student-friendly first biography of the great American citizen the French adored.-- "The Kaleidoscope: Gifted Child Bookshelf"

Review Quote

These biographies are written in a kid-friendly, chatty style. All provide brief general information about the featured subject. The type is large, the sentences are easy to read, and the backgrounds uncluttered, making them good choices for beginning readers. They're also suitable for classroom read-alouds. The boldly colored illustrations were digitally rendered and encompass full spreads. The captions present interesting extra tidbits about the person. An additional bonus is a link to the Fact Hound Web site, which contains links to sites for further information. These biographies are similar in reading level to the "First Biographies" series (Capstone/Pebble) but those books are illustrated with photos and reproductions. Nettleton's titles are twice as large and more visually appealing.

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