Franklin is Lost
By Paulette Bourgeois
Illustrated by Brenda Clark
“Franklin could slide down a river bank. He could count forwards and backwards. He could zip zippers and button buttons. He could walk to Bear’s house all by himself. But Franklin was not allowed to go into the woods alone.”
It’s not often that a book and televised series can consistently deliver relevant stories that engage children. Franklin the Turtle series is an exception. In over twenty picture books, Franklin encounters situations that most young children experience – going to school, riding a bike, getting a pet, and various friendship conflicts. The beautiful illustrations draw children into Franklin’s world.
In Franklin is Lost, he gets caught up in playing Hide and Seek with his friends and ventures into the woods alone, which is against his family rules. It turns out that his parents had this rule for a good reason, Franklin gets lost! The story continues demonstrating how breaking this simple rule impacts Franklin, his parents, and his friends.
Franklin is Lost shows natural consequences for behavior as well as unconditional love and forgiveness. Through Franklin’s experiences, children see that making mistakes or experiencing doubt or fear is a normal part of growing up. Franklin models how to ask forgiveness and learn from difficult situations. The Franklin series, both picture books and animated televised programs, are appealing in every way!