Ben Franklin

Hello! My name is Ben, and I want to tell you my story. A long, long time ago, in the year 1706, I was born in a busy city called Boston. I had a very big family with lots of brothers and sisters! My favorite thing to do was read books. I loved them so much! I was a very curious boy, which means I loved to ask questions. I would ask, 'Why is the sky blue?' and 'How do fish breathe underwater?' When I got bigger, I moved to a new city called Philadelphia. I opened my own little shop where I made books and newspapers for everyone to read. I wanted everyone to have the chance to learn new things, just like me.

I always looked for ways to help my friends and neighbors. In my city, not everyone had books, so I had a great idea! I started the very first library, a special place where people could share books and everyone could read them. I also started a fire department to keep everyone's homes safe from fires. I was an inventor, too! That means I liked to create new things. One stormy day, I had a big question about lightning. I flew a kite with a little key on it to see if lightning was like the little sparks we see in our homes. It was! It was electric! It was a very exciting day, but it also taught me to be very careful.

As I grew up, I helped my home, America, become a brand new country where everyone could be free and happy. I worked with my friends to write down all the important rules for our new country. I grew very old and lived a long, happy life, and then I died. But I learned that being curious and finding ways to help others are the best adventures of all. You can be a helper, too!