Gene Barretta's Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin, is a cute, colorful picture book about Franklin's many innovations. Like some of my other favorite illustrators (cf. Debi Gliori), he sneaks a lot of sly little details in the background, so that there's plenty to look at during (re)readings, and there's also some really clever use of coloring as a tool for rending perspective (i.e., some sections of illustrations in monochromes vs. others in full color).

(Also, there's one illustration with a pile of cats in a rocking chair, which I confess is usually an instant draw for me.*sheepish*)