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Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin By His Good Mouse Amos by Robert Lawson

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Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin By His Good Mouse Amos by Robert Lawson

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When Benjamin Franklin suddenly finds a runaway church mouse named Amos, Ben starts creating great things. That's what everyone else thinks, but Amos the mouse, who is secretly tucked away in his hat, is the one with the ideas. Amos even secretly changed Poor Richard's Almanac. According to Ben and Me, Thomas Jefferson didn't write the Declaration of Independence either. It was written by his mouse, Red. Amos works with other mice too and launches his own revolution. This was a great book that took its own creative twists on history.

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The book is set in the 1700's in Philadelphia with Amos, the mouse, helping Ben Franklin discover electricity, invent the Franklin stove, and write Poor Richard's Almanac. The book also explores dynamic events in the American Revolution. George Washington tells Ben to go overseas to make an alliance with France. Amos also battles to free young mice from underneath the King and Queen's throne in a cage. In the end, Amos goes back to care for his family after being Ben's advisor for years.

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In general, I knew what happened in the 1700's and with the American Revolution. With this knowledge, I was able to predict what would happen next at different stages in the book. The book discusses the Battle of Versailles. Until reading this book, I did not realize that this Battle marked France's entry into the American Revolution. France took the side of the Colonists. From this, I could better understand and appreciate why Ben went over to France early on to gain support and money for the American Revolution.

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Trumbull, John. "The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton." ca. 1786-1831. Yale University Art Gallery.

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When Ben was trying to get money from France, he was funding the Colonists for the American Revolution. This is a scene of a battle fought between the British and the Americans.

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This picture is a major turning point in the book for Amos. Until now, Amos usually went along with Ben. Amos did not like electricity because all his fur would stand straight up and his muscles contract throwing him into the air. Ben forced Amos to fly on a kite during a thunderstorm. After this, Amos was more independent.

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The theme of the book is that Amos, a mouse, did everything not Ben. This picture shows Amos writing the book describing all of his accomplishments. The theme was clear at the beginning of the book but was reinforced multiple times with inventing the Franklin stove, discovering electricity, and writing Poor Richard's Almanac. It was clear that mice were directing the Colonists when Thomas Jefferson's mouse, Red, and Amos wrote the Declaration of Independence.

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"'And by the way, what did you observe as to the true nature of lightning?'

'Do you know, Amos,' he explained, 'that first flash knocked off my glasses, and of course I see very poorly without them.'

'So you replaced them with a couple of pillows,' I said," (Lawson, 53).

In this quote, Ben is scared by the thunderstorm and lightning. Amos is brave watching the storm and observing the electricity of the lightning. This shows Amos' knowledge and superiority to Ben.

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This video provides more information about the American Revolution.

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The American Revolution, Explained in 5 Minutes!

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This website provides more information on the American Revolution.

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Featured

The Revolutionary War (1775-1783) arose from growing tensions between residents of Great Britain's 13 North American colonies and the colonial government. The American colonists, led by General George Washington, won political independence and eventually formed the United States of America.
Read more Read more about Revolutionary War

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American Revolution: Causes and Timeline | HISTORY

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The Revolutionary War waged by the American colonies against Britain influenced political ideas around the globe, as a small fledgling nation won its freedom from the greatest military force of its time.

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This website lists some of Ben Franklin's famous inventions, including lightning rods and the Franklin stove.

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Benjamin Franklin was many things in his lifetime: a printer, a postmaster, an ambassador, an author, a scientist, and a Founding Father. Above all, he was an inventor, creating solutions to common problems, innovating new technology, and even making life a little more musical. Despite creating some of the most successful and popular inventions of the modern world, Franklin never patented a single one, believing that they should be shared freely:

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Which would be easier for Amos to accomplish?

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Changing the text of Poor Richard's Almanack

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Drafting the Declaration of Independence with Red