Ben Franklin, Lightning, and Physical Science

If you are looking for a great trade book that is appropriate for elementary students and focused on physical science, you might be looking for quite a while. Engaging books that address physical science concepts are rare, so we thought that we'd share one of our all time favorites, How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning, by Rosalyn Schanzer, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Schanzer typically writes about important events in history, but when she crossed over into science, she hit the nail on the head.

From the endpapers filled with parts of Franklin's original drawings of his experiments, through the engaging text peppered with slightly cartoonish depictions of Ben, Schanzer details Franklin's lesser known achievements as a scientist and inventor. The text itself is well-written and historical context is woven throughout. However, from the beginning pages where young Ben holds on to a kite string to pull himself across a pond through the description of Franklin's well-known experiment with flying a kite in a storm, the focus is clearly on his fascination with electricity and his desire to solve everyday problems.

Of course, Schanzer includes descriptions both of how "electricians" of the time played with electricity (making almost 200 French soldiers stand at attention via an electrical charge, for example!) and how Franklin himself designed some arguably "interesting" experiments with electricity. She writes, "Ben even figured out how to light up a picture of a king in a golden frame. Anyone trying to remove the king's gold paper crown was in for a shock!" The biography of Franklin the scientist culminates with a discussion of his invention of the lightning rod and the ensuing expressions of gratitude from around the world.

This book is one that depicts not only physical science in action, but also the ingenuity, tenacity and determination that we want to encourage in our students...and future inventors!