This week, for Nonfiction Monday, I read about Mary Kingsley in Uncommon Traveler, written and illustrated by Don Brown.
This is a wonderful book full of moody pictures and poetic text.
[wikipop]Mary Kingsley[/wikipop] (1862-1900) had a hard life. She grew up taking care of her mother, who was ill, and never was able to go to school. But she had a library full of books to read. When her parents both died she was thirty and ready to explore the world. She chose to go to Africa.
She was a smart and witty woman, apparently. And Mr. Brown made a point of reporting on Mary’s funnier moments in Africa.
The text that goes with the cover illustration above reads:
In a swamp, an eight-foot-long crocodile “chose to get his front paws over the stern of my canoe,” said Mary. “I had to retire to the bow, to keep the balance and fetch him a clip on the snout with a paddle. This was only a pushing young creature, who had not learnt manners.”
Mary also made the acquaintance of hippos, giant bugs, river rapids, and native tribes. She loved Africa.
And I loved this book about her. People who love something are usually interesting. They will go to great lengths to achieve their goals, and they speak with passion about the things they love. That makes them fun to listen to and read about, I think.
For more nonfiction reviews, check out the links at Shelf-employed.
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tags: don brown, Mary Kingsley, Nonfiction Monday, review, uncommon traveler
