Franklin (book series)

Franklin is a series of books, mainly written by the author Paulette Bourgeois and illustrated by Brenda Clark, or members of her company Brenda Clark Illustrators in her style.

The first title in the series, Franklin in the Dark, was originally published in 1986, approximately ten years before the release of the Franklin TV series. This title established the familiar characters of Franklin Turtle and his mother, Mrs. Turtle, but other characters such as Mr. Turtle and a number of Franklin's regular friends such as Rabbit and Fox, would not be established until the second book, Hurry Up, Franklin. The books demonstrate a phenomenon known as "anthropomorphic shift," with the characters in the earlier installments demonstrating more animal-like behaviors such as walking on all fours and having a more animal-like appearance, but becoming progressively more human-like in latter installments.

There was a gap of over two years in between the release of the first two Franklin books. The titles would be released within increasing frequency in the leadup to the premiere of the television series. In addition to the original Franklin book series, numerous tie-in releases were issued, based on episodes of the original Franklin TV series (such as the Franklin TV Storybooks) and the spinoff Franklin and Friends. These generally featured a shortened version of the story seen on television, with some alterations to the plots.

The titles spawned the greater Franklin franchise, which grew to encompass various media, including two television series, multiple films, games, theatrical productions and more.

Books - original series

The books of the original Franklin series are, in order:

Franklin in the Dark (August 11, 1986)

Hurry Up, Franklin (April 9, 1989)

Franklin Fibs (March 24, 1991)

Franklin is Lost (February 2, 1992)

Franklin is Bossy (May 17, 1993)

Franklin is Messy (November 22, 1994)

Franklin Plays the Game (January 17, 1995)

Franklin Wants a Pet (March 14, 1995)

Franklin Goes to School (August 22, 1995)

Franklin's Blanket (November 7, 1995)

Franklin and the Tooth Fairy (February 6, 1996)

Franklin Has a Sleepover (April 9, 1996)

Franklin's Halloween (August 13, 1996)

Franklin's School Play (November 26, 1996)

Franklin's Bad Day (January 21, 1997)

Franklin Rides a Bike (March 18, 1997)

Franklin's New Friend (August 26, 1997) [final book released before the premiere of the TV series]

Finders Keepers for Franklin (January 6, 1998)

Franklin and the Thunderstorm (March 10, 1998)

Franklin's Valentines (June 30, 1998)

Franklin's Secret Club (September 1, 1998)

Franklin's Christmas Gift (November 3, 1998)

Franklin's Class Trip (March 2, 1999)

Franklin's Neighbourhood (U.S. Franklin's Neighborhood, September 7, 1999)

Franklin Goes to the Hospital (March 21, 2000)

Franklin's Baby Sister (October 17, 2000)

Franklin and Harriet (February 27, 2001)

Franklin's Thanksgiving (October 16, 2001)

Franklin Says I Love You (April 2, 2002)

All titles from Franklin in the Dark to Franklin's Christmas Gift were adapted as episodes of the television series. Franklin's Class Trip was adapted as the stage show Franklin's Big Adventure. The book Franklin's Baby Sister was released simultaneously with the film Franklin and the Green Knight, which adapts material from the book, but has an extended plotline featuring the story of the Green Knight not featured in the book. The special Franklin's Magic Christmas is loosely adapted from material in Franklin and Harriet. Other titles from Franklin's Neighbourhood onward were never adapted for television and loosely form their own canon, as they continue to depict characters such as Moose, despite him only being seen in a single story in the television series, as well as locations not seen on television, such as Woodland's hospital.