Ernest Shackleton very much wanted to be the first person to reach the South Pole, but in 1912 a Norwegian explorer called Roald Amundsen beat him to it. Ernest still wanted to make a notable journey of exploration so he decided that he would lead an expedition across Antarctica. He carefully chose the twenty-eight men… Continue reading Review — Shackleton and the Lost Antarctic Expedition
Author: Blake Hoena
Review — Matthew Henson: Arctic Adventurer
It was hard being a young black man who had dreams in the late 1800s. It seemed as if Matt Henson would never be able to find a job which wasn’t boring, physically back-breaking, and ill paid. Despite the fact that Matt had many skills including navigation, reading, and more, he was only hired to… Continue reading Review — Matthew Henson: Arctic Adventurer
Award — Visit to . . . series
My titles in the Visit to . . ., which include The Library, The Doctor’s Office, The Farm, The Fire Station, The Supermarket, and The Zoo, have won a Learning Magazine’s Teachers’ Choice Award!
Review — Matthew Henson
This innovative, easy-to-read biography series for readers in kindergarten through second grade describes and illustrates the lives of great men and women. The subjects will inspire young readers to achieve their own greatness. For example, even though Matthew Henson lost his parents early in life, he was motivated to care for himself and ultimately achieved… Continue reading Review — Matthew Henson
Review — Matthew Henson: Arctic Adventurer
Matthew Henson was the sort of man that pulp heroes such as Doc Savage and Indiana Jones were based on: resourceful, resolute, and courageous. In this entry in the Graphic Biographies series, Hoena speeds through a whirlwind of facts, about his life, from his stint as a 12-year-old sailor and hard times during which he… Continue reading Review — Matthew Henson: Arctic Adventurer
Review — Langston Hughes
An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose. —Langston Hughes. Langston Hughes knew about having the blues, and he used his knowledge to create poetry based on the blues music form. In his novels, plays, and essays, he explored… Continue reading Review — Langston Hughes
Review — Weather ABC
With pretty pictures, careful selection, and a lot of creativity, B.A. Hoena’s Weather ABC is great fun for young and curious readers. The book introduces both uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as fun facts about weather. My five-year-old son loved the book so much that he read it from cover to cover and enjoys… Continue reading Review — Weather ABC
Review — Dogs ABC
Whether you are a dog-lover or not, you will love this simple alphabet book full of adorable photographs of man’s best friend. Every page is dedicated to a letter of the alphabet and an interesting fact about dogs. The facts are simple and clever, ranging from a dog’s need for affection (the letter A) to… Continue reading Review — Dogs ABC
Review — Zeus
After providing a quick introduction to the featured mythological figure, each book in this series provides a good overview of what mythology is and how myths were passed on. A one-page chart in each book lists eight of the most famous mythological figures, giving Greek and Roman names and a one-sentence description of each god… Continue reading Review — Zeus
Award — World Mytholoy
The World Mythology series, which includes my titles Aeneas, Cyclopes, Odysseus, Poseidon, Athena, Zeus, and Venus has been recommended by Booklist in their “Series Roundup” section