I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer (review)

Having received the photobiography treatment in Johnson's Onward (BCCB 5/06), Matthew Henson is here the subject and narrator of a lyrical picture-book account of his bold and unconventional life as an African-American explorer alongside Robert Peary. Weatherford phrases each event in Henson's life as a refusal to be limited: "I did not start as cabin boy . . . to be shunned by white crews. . . . I did not sail to the tropics just to launder shirts and cook meals." The phraseology is occasionally a little ambiguous, but the intent—both Weatherford's and Henson's—is clear from the start, and it's a dramatic presentation of a determined man who achieved much in the face of great odds. Pastel illustrations are somewhat stiff, especially in the faces, but there's a dramatic sweep in their full-spread images of the frosty Arctic that will give youngsters a shivery idea of the physical demand of Henson's achievement. The near-poetic flow and the explorer focus make this a natural for fans of Robert Burleigh's Black Whiteness (BCCB 2/98) and Tiger of the Snows (BCCB 6/06); it would also make for an effective readaloud to fire up youngsters' adventurous imaginations. A few more details about Henson's life appear in an appended author's note; no sources are cited.