Keep On

This summer, we’ve read about visiting space, a brave world traveler, and a canine member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Now, keep the summer of exploration going with an eighteen-year-long voyage to the North Pole! Accompany Matthew Henson on his many adventures, including years spent traveling the world on the open ocean before his great excursion to the top of the world with Admiral Robert E. Peary.

Keep On! The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-Discoverer of the North Pole, follows Matthew and Robert on their ambitious quest to be the first men to stand on top of the world. The journey for Robert and Matthew was not easy, but despite facing terribly harsh weather conditions and an endless road to the North Pole, Matthew and his companions never gave up on their goal. They continued to persevere until they planted their flag in the icy ground of the top of the Pole. Add Keep On! to your summer reading list, and you, too, can learn the most important lesson for an adventurer: to simply keep on.

Author Deborah Hopkinson’s exciting and detailed account of this incredible story accompanies actual excerpts from Matthew’s expedition diaries, a timeline of Matthew’s life, and an author’s note detailing the racial prejudice Matthew was forced to overcome in addition to the difficult journey of his final expedition. Stephen Alcorn’s beautiful ink-and-watercolor illustrations provide expertly-designed snapshots of Matthew’s adventures.

In addition to the resources Hopkinson provides in Keep On!, readers can check out this free downloadable teacher’s guide to further explore Matthew’s thrilling and important story.

Also, be sure to follow Peachtree on Instagram to enter the Keep On! giveaway that is happening this week!

“Sturdy prose…stylized illustrations range from images of classic Americana to organic figures in motion…” ―Publishers Weekly

“Henson’s story is dramatic, although the narrative voice is soft as velvet, while Stephen Alcorn’s artwork appears both washed in bitter cold and defrosted by its hand-tinted quality.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Strikingly illustrated…articulate and straightforward prose…” ―School Library Journal

 

 

Don’t forget to pick up your copy of Keep On! at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble!