by Stef Schumacher

illustrated by Dick Smolinski

Kim AllisonMedium Blue

Copyright by Harcourt, Inc.

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ISBN 0-15-323175-0

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by Stef Schumacher

illustrated by Dick Smolinski

Chapters

Meet Ben Franklin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Poor Richards Almanack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

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2Meet Ben Franklin

Ben Franklin was an important figure inAmerican history. He helped to form thegovernment of the thirteen colonies. Hehelped to write the Declaration ofIndependence. He also signed it. TheDeclaration of Independence said that thethirteen colonies in America should be freefrom British rule. This started the coloniesdown the road to freedom.

Franklin also contributed to the U.S.Constitution. He was one of the signers of thisimportant paper that marked the beginningof the United States.

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3Ben Franklin was also an inventor ofmany useful things. He invented the bifocallens. Glasses with these lenses let people seeup close and far away. He invented a woodstove that made more heat than other woodstoves but used less fuel. Franklin stoves arestill used today.

He experimented to prove that lightningwas a form of electricity. He invented thelightning rod, a metal rod put on a roof. Iflightning strikes, it hits the rod instead of thebuilding.

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4When Ben Franklin was young, he enjoyedgoing to school. Unlike today, though, schoolwas very expensive. At only ten years old,Ben had to leave school and go to work. Hehelped his father make candles.

Even though Ben could no longer attendschool, he kept learning. He read books. He worked on his writing. He asked manyquestions and learned from the world around him.

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5When Ben was seventeen, he left Bostonand went to Philadelphia. In the early 1700s,Philadelphia was the largest city in theBritish colonies. It was an exciting place tolive and work. Ben soon found a job with a printer.

In his early twenties, Franklin opened his own print shop. He created a newspapercalled The Pennsylvania Gazette. It soonbecame very popular and had many faithful readers.

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6Ben Franklins newspaper was a success. Hethen went on to an even greater success. In1733, he published Poor Richards Almanack. Ithad a lot of general information. It alsocontained many wise and clever sayings thatilluminated important truths.

Ben Franklin was a curious man who knew a great deal. His knowledge helped him give good advice. People loved readingPoor Richards Almanack, and it soon became a best-seller.

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7Poor Richards Almanack

Poor Richards Almanack was written longago, yet many of its sayings are still truetoday. In the Almanack, Franklin summonshis readers to think about their own lives asthey read his sayings and advice.

You can read some of Franklins sayings in the pages that follow. They are fun tothink about and talk about. Ask yourself how each saying applies to life in the twenty-first century.

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8Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man

healthy, wealthy, and wise.

This saying is about healthful living andhow it helps you get ahead in life. Getting upearly and going to bed early are good for aperson. Getting enough sleep keeps youhealthy. When you are feeling good, you canget a lot done. Getting up early gives you thewhole day to work. You can use this time tomake money and to learn new things.

Do you think this is good advice? Do youget enough sleep? Do you get up earlyenough to get a lot done?

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9Little strokes fell great oaks.

Chopping down a huge oak tree is hardwork! It takes many little strokes of an ax tocut the tree down. This saying tells us that abig job can be done in little steps.

Think of a time when you had to do a bigreport or project. How did you break this big job up into smaller parts? What mighthave happened if you had tried to do it all at once?

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10

Lost time is never found again.

This reminds us to use our time wisely.When we waste time, it is gone forever. Thoselost seconds and minutes add up to hourseven days.

Have you ever played around instead ofdoing your homework? Did you then have todo your homework in a big hurry? Have youever missed out on something because youwasted time? Did you wish you could getthose hours back again?

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11

When the wells dry, we know the worth of water.

Sometimes we dont know how fortunatewe are to have something. We dontunderstand how important it is until after itsgone or changed. This saying reminds us notto take things for granted.

Today, many people understand thatimportant natural resources, such as waterand oil, are limited. They know that we needto use them with care. Have you ever noticedhow valuable something was only after it was gone?

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12

No gains without pains.

This saying lets us know that hard work isimportant. To do something well, we mustwork hard at it. Working persistently will berewarded in some way. We might gain bybeing paid for a job well done. We might alsogain joy from hard work.

Have you ever exercised and had soremuscles later? This saying might be good forathletes in training. What do you think?

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13

Speak little; do much.

This saying tells us several things.Sometimes actions are more important thanwords. Its all right to talk about what youregoing to do. Sometimes, though, its better totake action. A quiet persons actions can set agood example.

Have you ever set an example for others?Have you ever worked without saying muchabout it?

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14

A true friend is the best possession.

Possessions are things that we have orown. A true friend is one who is faithful, nomatter what happens. Having a faithfulfriend is worth more than owning valuablethings.

Do you think having a good friend isimportant? Is being a true friend to someoneelse important?

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15

Haste makes waste.

Sometimes rushing through a job causesproblems. When people rush, they often do apoor job. Mistakes may happen. Things mayhave to be redone. It is usually faster andbetter to do the job correctly the first time.

Have you ever rushed through homework?Have you ever hurried while doing an artproject? Did you make mistakes and have tostart all over again? How much time did youwaste by hurrying?

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16

From 1733 to 1758, Ben Franklin publisheda new edition of the Almanack yearly. Eachyear he added clever sayings. Manygenerations of Americans since that timehave enjoyed reading his good advice.

Ben Franklin always worked hard for hiscommunity and for his country. He knew thatlost time is never found again. Throughouthis life, he tried to make the very best use ofevery single second.

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1How does the writer make sure that readersunderstand Franklins wise sayings?

2Why do you think the writer begins the bookwith information about Ben Franklins life?

3Why have Franklins sayings remainedpopular for over two centuries?

4How do you know that Franklin cared aboutmaking life better and easier for people?

5Ben Franklin is often compared to ThomasEdison. How were these men alike, and howwere they different?

6Which saying do you like best? Why? How might this advice help you?

Modern Almanacs Look at a modernalmanac. How does it compare to PoorRichards Almanack? What information does itprovide?

Think and Respond

School-Home Connection Share this bookwith friends and family members. What sayingsdo they live by?

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