Alexander von Humboldt: Explorer, Naturalist & Environmental Pioneer

In lightly worked pencil and watercolor spreads, Novgorodoff presents Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) as a German child who baffles his parents and tutors with his predilection for wandering alone. Harboring an interest in exploration, von Humboldt “studied everything from mold to meteors” before eventually sailing to South America. There, a sketchbook sequence describes his initial thoughts as he encounters animals (“These creatures are so different!”), then, upon reflection, realizes that they occupy similar niches as the creatures he already knows: “The hawks were sharp-eyed, the lizards had eighteen toes, and the large cats were spotted.” As he learns more about the geography of the continent, he comes to believe that everything—the plants, the animals, their placement on the land—is interrelated, formerly articulating that “habitats all over the world are connected.” Though an author’s note and back matter contextualize the figure’s beliefs and Eurocentricity, some of the picture book’s text nevertheless centers the white explorer’s “discoveries” and opinions over those of Indigenous peoples in this detailed description of one person’s observations about the natural world. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)