Audiobook1 hour
Onward: A Photobiography of African-American Polar Explorer Matthew Henson
Written by Dolores Johnson
Narrated by Caroline Clay
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Matthew Henson's destiny was set when he met naval officer Robert Edwin Peary in 1887. An African-American son of poor farmers, Henson shared Peary's desire to be the first person to reach the North Pole. In 1909, the men set out one one of their many voyages together. They battled sub-zero temperatures, deadly ice formations, and bone-chilling winds. Many times it was Henson who saved the expedition with his knowledge of Inuit language and culture. But when the men finally achieved their goal, few people believed them. Worse still, because Henson was black, he was seen as nothing more than Peary's manservant. This exceptional biography from noted author and educator Dolores Johnson tells the full story of Henson's extraordinary life, from his humble and self-taught beginnings, to his proper recognition as Peary's equal. "The story demonstrates that fortitude, strength, and loyalty are not determined by the color of one's skin, but 'by the determination of one's spirit.'"-School Library Journal, starred review "Johnson provides an excellent volume that gives insight into the men as well as the expeditions, with particular appeal to middle school readers."-VOYA ". an excellent introduction to a man of courage and adventure who is all too often forgotten."-Children's Literature
Related to Onward
Related audiobooks
Bigger than Life: America's Tall Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAcross America on an Emigrant Train Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHeart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Poem for Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creation of the Snowy Day Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Carver: A Life in Poems Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One Railroad, No Tracks Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHalf-A-Moon Inn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5John Henry Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Immigrant Kids Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Christmas Dream Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Field of the Dogs Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Kayray's Storytime Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWalter the Baker Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrincess Posey and the First Grade Parade Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Disappearing Act Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Story of the Treasure Seekers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDumpling Days Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sing Down the Moon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Farmer George Plants a Nation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Famous Men of the Middle Ages Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daddles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe World Made New Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Who Was That Masked Man, Anyway? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives, and Dreams Brought to Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Candymakers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Musicians of Bremen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book of Dragons - Volume 2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Children's Biography & Autobiography For You
Hitler's Last Days: The Death of the Nazi Regime and the World's Most Notorious Dictator Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Days of Jesus: His Life and Times Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Free Lunch Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Harriet Tubman Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boy on the Wooden Box Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Selma: True Stories of a Southern Childhood at the Height of the Civil Rights Movement Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Through My Eyes: Ruby Bridges Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shaken: Young Readers Edition: Fighting to Stand Strong No Matter What Comes Your Way Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Escape from Alcatraz: The Mystery of the Three Men Who Escaped From The Rock Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dreamer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Am Ruby Bridges Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Plot to Kill Hitler: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Unlikely Hero Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz: A True Story Retold for Young Readers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stacey’s Extraordinary Words Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Yellow Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Through My Eyes: A Quarterback's Journey: Young Reader's Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Overground Railroad Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsX: A Biography of Malcolm X Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Miss Rumphius Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Onward
Rating: 3.624999975 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
4 ratings1 review
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5After several failed attempts with his partner Robert Peary, African-American explorer Matthew Henson was one of the first men to set foot on the North Pole. Although Henson's warm relationship with the Inuit people (he learned their language and taught other men on the expeditions about their culture) and his skill with dog sledging were integral to their success, Henson was not recognized for his achievements until some time later. Henson was posthumously awarded the National Geographic Society's Hubbard Medal (their highest honor) nearly 100 years after Peary was given the same award for the same expedition. This biography is detailed enough to be useful for school work and its awesome photographs and exciting story will appeal as recreational reading for young explorers.