The Horn Book Guide

HISTORY

Hopkinson, Deborah

Keep On!: The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-Discoverer of the North Pole

40 pp. | Peachtree | January, 2009 | Trade ISBN 978-1-56145-473-0 $17.95

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. Alcorn's illustrations, filled with swirls and stars and sunbursts, create an ethereal and almost mythical landscape in this biography of the African American explorer who, along with Robert E. Peary, became "the first to stand at the top of the world." Hopkinson's writing is crisp and fluid, with quotes from Henson lending additional veracity. Back matter discusses how racial prejudice obscured Henson's achievement. Reading list, timeline, websites.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger