If you’re looking for a colonial American history picture book that is honest about history, both the good and the bad, check out this recent release from Charlesbridge Publishing.
Told from the perspective of Ben Franklin’s young son Billy (William Franklin), Jane Yolen’s fictional narrative THE LEATHER APRON CLUB: BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, HIS SON BILLY AND THE FIRST AMERICAN CIRCULATING LIBRARY, follows the boy’s discovery of the first free lending library in the US (well, technically it wasn’t the US quite yet.) As Billy guides you through his day, living in eighteenth century Philadelphia, the reader is treated with pithy comments from POOR RICHARD’S ALMANAC – his father’s famous creation. Jane Yolen’s poetic rhythm and Wendell Minor’s expressive illustrations invite the reader along as Billy discovers an exciting “new world” through books. The back material provides a more detailed history, addressing Franklins’ evolving views on slavery and the unfortunate rift that developed between father and son over the American Revolution.
PS Ken Burns’s recent four-hour documentary EXPLORING BENJAMIN FRANKLIN gives an in-depth perspective on Ben Franklin’s life and his difficult relationship with Billy.