I, Matthew Henson

The inspiring story of the Black explorer who made the first successful expedition to the North Pole.

Matthew Henson was not meant to lead an ordinary life-his dreams had sails. Those dreams took him from the port of Baltimore and onto the sea, seeking adventures around the world. He may have started out as a cabin boy on the ship of Robert Peary, but he would quickly prove himself as an explorer. And after decades of determination in the face of danger, Henson was part of a crew-one white man, one Black man, and four Inuit men-who finally did what no one had ever done before: they made it to the North Pole.

Told in poetic first-person narration by award-winning author Carole Boston Weatherford with art from award-winning illustrator Eric Velasquez, I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer is the thrilling story of a hidden figure from American history.