Keep On!

The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-Discoverer of the North Pole

By Hopkinson, Deborah & Alcorn, Stephen

Publishers Summary:
A riveting account of African-American explorer Matthew Henson s 1909 journey to the North Pole with Admiral Peary Many know the story of Robert Peary s great 1909 expedition to reach the North Pole. Yet few people know that Peary was joined on this grueling, history-making journey by fellow explorer Matthew Henson. Henson was born just after the Civil War, a time when slavery had been abolished, but few opportunities were available for black people. Even as a child, he exhibited a yearning for adventure, and at the age of only thirteen, he embarked on a five-year voyage sailing the seven seas and learning navigation, history, and mathematics.Henson s greatest adventure began when he accepted an invitation by Robert Peary to join his expedition to the North Pole. The team endured storms, shifting ice, wind, injuries, accidents, and unimaginable cold. Finally on April 1, Peary, Henson, and four Inuit men began the final 133-mile push to the Pole. Readers will share in the excitement and drama of this remarkable, history-making adventure as award-winning author Deborah Hopkinson pays tribute to a great but under recognized figure from America s past. Illustrator Stephen Alcorn s large-format, stylized ink-and-watercolor illustrations capture all the action. Excerpts from Henson s expedition diaries, a timeline, and an epilogue place the story in its historical context.

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ISBN
978-1-56145-473-0
Publisher
Peachtree Publishers


REVIEWS

School Library Journal

Reviewed on April 1, 2009

Gr 2-5 This strikingly illustrated picture book tells of the life of a man whose achievements were, until recently, largely overlooked. An African American who was orphaned at age 13, Henson spent his adolescence as a cabin boy and then star...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Horn Book Guide

Reviewed on January 1, 2009

Alcorn's illustrations, filled with swirls and stars and sunbursts, create an ethereal and almost mythical landscape in this biography of the African ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

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