Ben Franklin and His First Kite Book

Title: Ben Franklin and His First Kite
Author: Stephen Krensky
Illustrator: Bert Dodson
Genre: Biography
Theme(s): History
Opening line/sentence: Ten-year-old Benjamin Franklin was hard at work in his fathers candle shop.
Brief Book Summary: This book from the Ready-to-read series informs readers on Ben Franklin. However, unlike most books this book focuses on Ben when he was only 10 years old working in his father's candle shop. While working in his father's shop, Ben often experiments, and his latest idea has created the first kite.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Sally Canzoneri (Children's Literature)
Though billed as nonfiction, this is a fictional story based on an incident from Ben Franklin's boyhood. There is a good deal of dialogue that is obviously fictional. Moreover, the events differ from Franklin's own description of the day he used his kite to pull himself across a pond. In Krensky's version, young Ben purposely sets out to conduct an experiment using his kite. In Franklin's description, he was trying to amuse himself with his kite and enjoy swimming at the same time, when he discovered that the kite would draw him across the water. Aside from concerns always raised by presenting fiction as nonfiction, the approach taken in this book is troubling. Young readers would probably like the real Ben Franklin better than the rather know-it-all character in this book; they would also learn that scientific discoveries are made by close observation of everyday events as well as through planned experiments.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Horn Book Guide
K-3 Illustrated by Bert Dodson. Ready-to-Read series. This fictionalized account tells of the day ten-year-old Benjamin Franklin used the wind and a kite to pull himself across a lake without swimming a stroke. Although it is unclear what Franklin's "experiment" proves, the engaging text and watercolor illustrations accurately depict the eighteenth-century Boston setting. A timeline of important events in Franklin's life is appended.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: While this book is listed as a nonfiction title, the first review clearly states some places where it goes back and forth between nonfiction and fiction. While it is clear to see that the first reviewer has some strong opinions on the topic, I think overall this book is a good story for children to read to understand the first kite. It also includes a timeline like stated in the second review which can be good for kids to look back at.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: I think this book does a good job of pairing its words with its illustrations, especially because it is for young readers. While there may be some wordy pages, the illustration is always paired with it to describe what is happening. Overall I think the amount of words per page along with the illustrations make this a good book for early readers.
Consideration of Instructional Application: For this book I would ask the students if they have ever flown a kite. If they have, I would have them write a small response telling about their experiences flying their kite and then draw a picture of it. If they haven't ever flown a kite, I would have them say what they think it would be like and have them draw a picture of what their kite would look like. Finally, I would take the class outside to fly a kite so everyone can see what it looks like and how it works.