Ben and Me by Robert Lawson
"Ben and Me" by Robert Lawson is a charming children's novel that tells the story of a mouse named Amos and his friendship with the renowned historical figure Benjamin Franklin. Set in 18th-century Philadelphia, the narrative is presented as Amos's first-person account, claiming to be transcribed from a small manuscript discovered during renovations of an old house. In a tale filled with humor and adventure, Amos leaves his impoverished family to seek a better life and unexpectedly finds himself in the company of Franklin. Their partnership leads to a series of inventive episodes, including the creation of the Franklin stove, editing Franklin's "Poor Richard's Almanack," and even influencing the origins of the Declaration of Independence.
Throughout the story, Amos not only provides practical advice that helps Franklin achieve fame but also participates in significant historical events, including revolutionary activities in France. The book captures themes of friendship, ingenuity, and the importance of collaboration, while Lawson's engaging illustrations further enhance the storytelling. Since its publication, "Ben and Me" has remained popular, finding its way into educational settings and inspiring adaptations, including an animated film. The work showcases Lawson's talent for weaving history with whimsy, making it a beloved classic in children's literature.
Subject Terms
Ben and Me by Robert Lawson
First published: 1939; illustrated
Subjects: Animals, friendship, politics and law, travel, and war
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Adventure tale, fantasy, and historical fiction
Time of work: 1744-1787
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Locale: Philadelphia and Paris
Principal Characters:
Amos , a churchmouse in PhiladelphiaBenjamin Franklin , a printer, inventor, and statesmanSophia , a beautiful white mouse at the French courtRed Jefferson , Thomas Jefferson’s mouse colleagueGeorge Washington , a revolutionary war hero and the first president of the United States
Form and Content
Ben and Me is the story of the friendship between Amos, a mouse, the oldest of twenty-six siblings of a poor mouse family living in a Philadelphia church, and Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s most famous and beloved historical figures. In the introduction, author Robert Lawson claims that he is only an editor relating Amos’ story, which was written on a manuscript the size of a postage stamp and discovered during the alteration of an old Philadelphia house. What follows are fifteen short chapters, told in the first person and illustrated by Lawson.
Because of their poverty—they were poor as church mice—Amos left home in 1745, hoping to assist his struggling family. Exhausted, he finds himself in the rooms of the already-famous Benjamin Franklin and falls asleep in Franklin’s fur cap. When he awakens the next morning in a cold room, Amos tells Franklin that the fireplace is inefficient because too much heat goes up the chimney. He suggests placing a heat source in the middle of the room, similar to the hot chestnut around which he and his family sometimes gathered to keep warm. The result is the so-called Franklin stove. Afterward, a bargain is struck between man and mouse: Twice each week, Franklin provides Amos’ family with cheese, rye bread, and kernels of wheat, and in return Amos assists Franklin. By inhabiting the latter’s fur cap, Amos frequently offers advice to Ben, being thus the cause of Franklin’s success and fame.
A series of episodic events follows. Franklin experiments with lightning and electricity, although Amos is not convinced that these discoveries are of any value. Another episode relates how Amos reedits, somewhat disastrously, Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack, with resulting confusion among the people of Philadelphia. Of the American Revolution, Amos claims that the origins of the Declaration of Independence lay in a previous manifesto, written by Red Jefferson, a mouse who had come to Philadelphia in the saddlebags of Thomas Jefferson. Red had drafted a statement of mouse complaints against humans, but after Amos shows it to Franklin, Ben transforms it into a declaration of inalienable rights by which the American colonists justify their rebellion against Great Britain.
George Washington asks Franklin to represent America abroad, but it is Amos who convinces Ben to choose France after Amos points out to the less perceptive Franklin the advantages of French pastry, French wine, and beautiful French women. There, wearing his ever-present fur cap inhabited by Amos, Franklin creates a sensation and successfully raises considerable funds for the colonists’ cause. Amos is also involved in revolutionary activity through his attempt to free the young mice children of Sophia, a beautiful white mouse from Versailles who lives in the high headdress, or wig, of Madame Brillon. Moved by gallantry and opposed to the dastardly actions of the aristocratic white mice who have persecuted Sophia, Amos recruits Red Jefferson, who is in Paris with Thomas Jefferson, as well as the rats from the ships of John Paul Jones, who is also in France. In the subsequent Battle of Versailles, the American mice win the day, the effete aristocratic French mice are defeated, and Sophia’s children are saved. Unfortunately, Amos admits, the victory is at the cost of Franklin’s reputation: The French court is not amused by the mouse war.
Franklin and Amos soon return home to Philadelphia. Both by now are old, and on the occasion of Franklin’s eighty-first birthday (which occurred in 1787), Amos presents Ben with a new French-style hat, with Amos to continue to reside in the old fur cap. At this point, Amos’ narrative ends.
Critical Context
Ben and Me remained in print well into its second half-century, testifying to its enduring popularity. It has continued to find a place in schools as secondary reading and has been translated into the medium of animation as a successful feature film. An illustrator since the 1910’s, Robert Lawson achieved wide recognition in 1936 when he illustrated the famous story of Ferdinand the bull in the version told by Munro Leaf.
In 1940, Lawson portrayed the history of his own family in They Were Strong and Good, a work that was primarily illustration, with only a few words of narrative; it was awarded the Caldecott Medal. Rabbit Hill (1944), his book for younger readers, is the story of Little Georgie, a young rabbit, and his adventures with the “new folks”; it won the Newbery Medal in 1945. After Ben and Me, Lawson wrote other animal-narrated historical biographies, including I Discover Columbus (1941) and Mr. Revere and I (1953), which have, respectively, a parrot and a horse as the animal characters. A prolific author of children’s stories and a brilliant illustrator, Lawson was one of the major figures in children’s literature for many decades. Ben and Me continues to be one of his most popular and most endearing works.