The Matthew Henson Story
by Catherine Johnson
Cover Art & book Illustrations by Katie Hickey
Cover Design work & Published by Barrington Stoke
*Dyslexia-friendly books*
This is a book that needs to be out in the world so people can read a story that's been hidden for too long.
Can you imagine (at 11 years old) putting cut up squares of blanket of your feet to creep down the stairs silently to escape from your 'home' & mean step-mum? That was the only possible way Matthew Henson could try to find his new life.
With nowhere to live he eventually found work with kind Miss Janey in her Café. Sweeping, washing up & errands were a good start but Matthew, hearing stories of ships & travel, had plans in mind to really follow his heart. There was a whole world out there & he needed to see it.
He moved on, determined to find a way to travel & live his dream. The next tough life chapter evolved but Matthew was a WORKER with a huge heart, strong mind & even stronger resolve.
Lucky to have some astute, unexpected mentors as he grew into a teenager, Matthew would always be grateful to Captain Childs. Given his first chance to go out to sea on a boat, Matthew would also learn his letters & to read. Captain Childs insisted - an hour a day. This was the best spark to ignite Matthew's dreams, his deep-set hunger for knowledge & help him realise he really could get somewhere in life.
Learning new skills, trades, astronomy, navigation, even soaking up languages, over time Matthew was the only black man in his new life who could manage a dogsled & make or fix everything in wood or metal.
He made the effort to communicate with other nationalities he encountered, including the Inuit ᐃᓄᐃᑦ in their own language. They gave him a special name *Mahri-Paluq* which means The Kind One. Matthew found a level of mutual appreciation with the Inuit that would never be matched.
Because of this Matthew Henson was also one of the very few black men to gain respect of many learned white folks around him. His time with Captain Childs on the Katie Hines was relatively short but over subsequent years Matthew would experience so much more on several trips with Naval Officer Peary. Together they even created original charts necessary to progress toward the frozen North.
Permanently injured after losing several toes to frostbite, Peary would ride a sled on future expeditions & Matthew would be there. He was on one of a few 3-man teams accompanying Peary & would be selected for one final attempt to conquer the icy reaches of the North Pole.
How will they both create history - in more ways than one? Timing really is everything. Who will be acknowledged? How long does true recognition take? How could the colour of anyone's skin singularly determine whether historic events are recorded or not?
Every moment of his life was a struggle to prove himself to everyone else but Matthew never gave up. His fighting spirit & honesty would get him through so much.
The name Matthew Henson should be echoed across the world & spoken in every school so more people know his story.