Reviews for Philo Farnsworth and the Invention of Television

The average rating for Philo Farnsworth and the Invention of Television based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-01-31 00:00:00 Ray Seekin A picture book biography on Matthew Henson, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Eric Velásquez. Matthew was an adventurer and explorer at an early age. How else could one explain a boy of 12 or 13 years old walking forty (40) miles, from Washington, D. C. to Baltimore, M.D. to see the ships he heard old sailors talking about. He ended up getting his first job on a ship, there. He started out as a cabin boy and worked his way up over the years. When not on a ship Henson took other jobs. In fact, he was working as a clerk in a haberdashery when he met a young naval officer, Robert Peary. Peary was about to embark on a trip to Nicaragua to map out a canal. He offered Henson a job on this adventure as his personal aide. Henson jumped at this opportunity. Henson took on other duties when a worker became ill. Over the years, Henson saw five continents. He sailed with many captains, but, he liked working with Peary, and Peary knew he could count on him. They spent over twenty years trying to reach the North Pole. Henson learned the language of the Inuit people which made him a valuable team member since he could communicate with their Inuit workers. With a new ship they set out on their 1908-1909 North Pole expedition, knowing that because of their age this would be their last voyage. This time they succeeded. The book covers the many challenges Henson overcame to reach his achievements. He always worked hard to accomplish his goals. I think children will learn the important lessons of hard work and perseverance reading this book. The book is for children ages 6 -11. Black History Month Read

Review # 2 was written on 2014-03-11 00:00:00 Kristina S. Langan I had never heard of Matthew Henson. I'm so glad I know about him. What an amazing person. He was born in 1866 and he was African American. He expected to be treated as an equal back then. He wanted to explore the world and he wasn't going to let anyone stop him. That takes guts. He and Peary sought to be the first to reach the North Pole. After 6 or 7 tries, they did. There was controversy around this fact during this lifetime because he was Black. He took a picture and is now recognized as being integral to this feat. The art work is beautiful. It makes you feel like you are on an adventure. Matthew was an extraordinary person. I would give this book more stars, but the text is terrible. It confused me so much. After the story, it gives an account of his life and I figured out what was going on. The was on each page said 'he did not do ...this to do that.' It made it sound like he didn't do these things. It really made it confusing. I kept thinking, did he do it or not. It is poorly written. Tell us what he did accomplish in the positive. The back page was well written and some of those things should have been put in the story too. Still, I'm glad I found out about this man. It's always to to have stories about people who overcome overwhelming odds in life. It gives everyone HOPE.