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Mary Kingsley spent her childhood in a small house on a lonely lane outside London, England. Her mother was bedridden, her father rarely home, and Mary served as housekeeper, handyman, nursemaid, and servant. Not until she was thirty years old did Mary get her chance to explore the world she"d read about in her father"s library. In 1893, she arrived in West Africa, where she encountered giant Xying insects, crocodiles, hippos, and brutal heat. Mary endured the hardships of the equatorial country—and thrived.
This book makes the reader want to know more about Mary!Reviewed by Judy K. Polhemus, 2010-01-12
"Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa" is truly an inspiring
story, making it a must-have illustrated book for home and school
libraries.
There are so many things I want to say about the amazing Mary
Kingsley that I hardly know which direction to take first. In no
particular order, here I go!
1. I first learned about Mary Kingsley this past summer when I was
re-alphabetizing the biography section. One book I found was
"Travels in West Africa" by Mary Kingsley. A woman traveling alone
in Africa in the 1890s? How odd! How fascinating! I began looking
into other books by and about Mary and found this one.
2. My 2009-2010 theme for our school library (grades PK3 - 8) is
geography and travel. Students spent the first semester learning
about (depending on age) various kinds of atlases, maps,
continents, the States, how to plan an overseas trip, hot air
balloons, and much more. Imagine my great delight when I found this
book that encompasses most of the topics I've covered!
3. When I first opened the package from Amazon and saw that the
book was an illustrated children's book, frankly, I was
disappointed. I wanted to learn more about this amazing woman. My
comment about being disappointed is a shocker, coming from a person
who absolutely LOVES picture books for their originality, simple
but incredible content, the beauty of the artwork (or humor), the
lessons scripted in, to name a few reasons. Then I read the book.
Oh yes, that's also why I LOVE children's books.
4. Don Brown (not to be confused with Dan Brown) is a children's
author and illustrator, who specializes in books about women of the
past. In fact, one of Mr. Brown's books is on the list of books
being considered by students, grades 3-5, in Louisiana, for the
favorite book of the year. The book is "Dolly Madison Saves George
Washington."
5. The book itself: Right there on the back of the front cover is a
first for me. Instead of a blank page or sketches of some do-dads,
is a biographical sketch. It concludes with this statement: "Don
Brown introduces us to an inspiring heroine who, against all odds,
came to embody the very spirit of exploration and discovery."
6. The artwork itself is both detailed and sketchy. Pen and ink
provides definition of items, watercolor gives us that soft
impression. His portrayal of people is almost amusing in its lack
of details. Once into the story, the reader fleshes out details for
him/herself. I found the technique exactly right for the
story.
7. The life of Mary Kingsley is the stuff of fairy tales. She never
went to school. Her mother was bed-ridden and her father was a
traveler, adventurer, and writer, thus rarely home. Basically, Mary
was the caregiver. It is believed she taught herself to read. What
is inspiring about this part of her life is her lack of self-pity.
She is an example of a child in bad circumstances who does not
allow life to defeat her. She read extensively from her father's
library, allowing books to become her world.
8. She was 30 years old when her parents died (in the same year)
and then wandered out into the world. And, wow, what wandering! She
headed for West Africa!
9. Mary's adventures in West Africa are simply amazing. What grit!
What derring-do! What fortitude! Eventually, she came to call West
Africa her spiritual home. When she did return to England, she
turned her house into the tropical climate of her beloved home and
decorated it with African artifacts.
10. This is a book that demonstrates many things: a negative
childhood can be overcome, the world is an open book, courage and
confidence are great qualities, among many. The best thing about
the book is Mary herself, an example to emulate.
Uncommon Traveler? To be sure! Although the intended audience is
ages 4-8 (automatic for illustrated children's books), the book can
be enjoyed by all ages. I almost dare an adult to read this to
his/her child and not be enticed to learning more about Mary
Kingsley, uncommon traveler.
Interesting biographyReviewed by Ulyyf, 2009-12-21
I never heard of this woman until I got this biography from my
Secret Santa at LibraryThing. She had a fascinating life after she
was grown - exploring Africa alone in those days when travel was
difficult.
I like how the book is written. The author doesn't speculate on her
thoughts or motivations (although actual quotations by Mary
Kingsley are used when appropriate), and while her childhood was
certainly "difficult" (she grew up isolated, educating herself and
taking care of the house and her invalid mother while her father
traveled), this is stated clearly without dwelling on it in a
maudlin fashion. It's hard to walk that line between covering up
unpleasant facts and making a big deal of them, but this book does
that nicely.
Simple, factual, and, above all - interesting. I intend to get more
books by this author. He's just shot to the top of my wishlist.
Fascinating.Reviewed by Dave, 2006-11-05
This was read and enjoyed by all five members of our family (ranging in age from 5 to 40+). It sparked interesting conversations about the Congo region and the plausability of Mary's stories (could you really scratch a hippo with an umbrella?). This book also prompted the two adults of the family to find a copy of Mary Kingsley's own biography to read.
wonderful bookReviewed by Ash-Crash, 2005-09-23
The Uncommon Traveler was written and illustrated by Don Brown. Don
Brown was a professional illustrator. According to the School
Library Journal, they called him " a current pacesetter who has put
the finishing touches on the standards for storyographies." Don
Brown's first book was RUTH LAW THRILLS A NATION.
This book is a non-fiction picture book, as well as a historical
realism. This book is set in the past, an event, which is Mary's
exploration of Africa. This book explains Mary Kingsley's childhood
that gives her the courage and motivation for her travels to
Africa. Mary is a heroic woman, who shows her strength throughout
the book. This book describes her adventures in Africa, which she
traveled alone and not listening to the warnings from others. This
books also shows that dreams do come true and that you can
achieve your dreams, no matter what obstacles that you come
across.
While growing up, Mary never attended school or never played with
other children. Even though, Mary was alone, she was still happy.
Mary mentioned, "I had a great, amusing world of my own: the books
in Father's Library." These books as mentioned in the book were her
companions and teachers, since she was housebound. At the age of
thirty, Mary was free from her duties, when her parents passed
away. Growing up, Mary had read books about her father's adventures
and inspired by her father's journeys, and the books that she had
read, Mary wanted to travel to Africa.
Mary Went to Africa When Others Stayed HomeReviewed by Zachary Hackett, 2005-05-05
Like he did with his other wonderful children's books about Mary
Anning, Alice Ramsey and Ruth Law, interesting, fascinating and
heroic women all, Mr. Brown takes a brave woman most people have
never heard of and turns her story into an inspiring tale that will
lift the heart of all children from four to eighty-four.
Englishwoman Mary Kingslely had been virtually house bound nursing
her ill mother, even denied school, but when her parents passed
away in her thirtieth year she was finally free, so to speak. She'd
spent much of her life reading travel books in her father's library
and it was travel she wanted to do. She settled on the idea of
going to West Africa, a place unheard of for a single woman to go.
But wearing her proper Victorian clothes, high necked, long sleeved
shirt with a heavy skirt that almost hit the ground, she set out
and had many adventures in West Africa.
This is a book about adventure and I try to point that out to my
almost three-year-old son Devon. He is a bit young for the book,
but his mother and I feel that books are the lifeblood of a child's
future and we surround him with them. Books, books and more books
for our son and this is one of the better ones. He will be learning
to read with it.
