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K-Gr 3—Before he was an inventor, before he was a statesman, before he was a printer, Franklin was a young son of a soapmaker with big ideas and a penchant for swimming in the Charles River of Boston. This made him a bit of an odd duck at the time, as many people of the 18th century believed swimming could make them sick. With this "mostly true story," Rosenstock shares how even as a boy, Franklin possessed a powerful curiosity and a can-do attitude that led him to create swim paddles ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Ben Franklin: noted printer, writer, statesman, scientist, inventor, and subject of dozens of biographies for children. Here's a slightly fictionalized tale to celebrate one of Ben's less-heralded accomplishments: self-taught swimmer. In the eighteenth century hardly anyone knew how to swim, but Franklin was an avid swimmer through old age, realizing the water's positive effects on his body and mind. Adolescent Ben slips away from his father's sweltering soap shop, sheds his ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

In the eighteenth century, hardly anyone knew how to swim, but Ben Franklin was an avid swimmer. Young Ben constructs primitive f...Log In or Sign Up to Read More