(4) 4-6 Translated by Laura Watkinson. Schwartz fictionalizes North Pole explorer Henson's life in this graphic novel. The visual storytelling--in shades of steely blue and grays--is striking and resonant. Schwartz goes to great lengths to illuminate the many ways in which African American Henson was discriminated against during his lifetime; the lack of nuance in his portrayal of the Inuits who held Henson in high esteem is unfortunate.

Reviewer: Sam Bloom

(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

(4) K-3 Amazing Americans series. Henson's accomplishments as one of the first men--and the first African American--to reach the North Pole are the focus of this easy-to-read biography. Though Wade doesn't discuss discrimination in depth, she does touch on the subject ("Because Henson was African American, nobody talked about what he had done"). Stock photographs are featured opposite the text on each spread. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(3) 4-6 Sterling Biographies series. Attractive layouts and numerous reproductions of photos, paintings, documents, etc. (e.g., Lewis's pre-expedition shopping list) make for easy-to-approach biographies of four famous explorers. The writing is solid, with sidebars that flesh out historical contexts and important contemporaries. Columbus and Henson give personal portraits; Lewis & Clark reads more like a history of the expedition. Source notes, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Sterling Biographies titles: Christopher Columbus, Lewis & Clark, and Matthew Henson.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. In spare, poetic language, Weatherford tells the story of African American explorer Henson in eight-line stanzas. Until the climactic last page, each segment begins with a negative clause ("I did not sail to the tropics just to launder shirts..."), an effective device. Velasquez's striking pastels support the text nicely and, toward the end, heighten suspense. An author's note supplements the biographical information.

Reviewer: Kathleen Isaacs | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2008

(4) 4-6 Feeling overprotected by his mother yet pressured by the gangstas in his gritty D.C. neighborhood, Alvin, twelve, decides to follow in the footsteps of his hero, Matthew Henson. And, yes, via train, bus, plane, and dogsled, the boy does make it to the Arctic. While the story is sometimes preachy and implausible, Napoli makes Alvin's journey vivid, and fans of survival stories will want to go along.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(4) YA African-American Biographies series. Writing styles of individual authors affect the readability of each volume in this series, ranging from enthusiastic to plodding and prosaic. The books will be useful where other material on each subject is limited. Unexceptional black-and-white photos are included as are websites and chronologies. Bib., ind. [Review covers these African-American Biographies titles: Julian Bond, Matthew Henson, Kweisi Mfume, Bessie Coleman, Harriet Tubman.]

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith