Henry's Freedom Box

by Ellen Levine

illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Teacher's Choice 2008

Caldecott Honor Book

Summary

Though he does not know his age, Henry Brown is a young slave working in the house of his master with his mother, brothers and sisters. His mother was very worried about her children being taken from her. When his master was on his deathbed, Henry went to him, hoping that the master would free him, but instead he gave him to his son, making him promise to never tell a lie. Henry was sent to a factory to work for his new master, who was not as kind as his old. One day he met a girl named Nancy, who he married, with the permission of their masters, and they began to have children. Nancy was worried about their children, however, because her master had lost a lot of money. Sure enough, the following day his friend came into the factory and told Henry, "Your wife and children were just sold at the slave market." Henry could not do anything until lunch, when he went to the center of town just as his family was being taken away. Henry no longer had any joy in life, and sought a way to freedom. He decided, "I will mail myself to a place where there are no slaves!" His friend James and a white man named Mr. Smith helped him. Though they wrote "Handle with Care" on the box, Henry was turned all around, but he didn't move for fear someone would hear him. Soon, Henry was in Philadelphia. His new birthday was deemed his day of freedom, March 30, 1849.

Discussion

With a low level vocabulary and a clear engaging text, this book is great for a read aloud or for individual students to read. The subject matter dealt with shows the slave trade from an inside perspective, a perspective not commonly heard. This book does not try to demonize whites, but it clearly shows that slavery was wrong. Henry's Freedom Box would be a great addition to any classroom, especially during Black History Month or any lesson on the Civil War or the Underground Railroad. This was based off of a true story, and the author's note in the back explains that Henry "Box" Brown became one of the most famous runaway slaves after his 27 hour ride from Richmond, Virginia to Philadelphia. The illustrations in the book, done by Kadir Nelson, are incredible, very inviting and rich color schemes, as well as interesting angles. Some pages are very dark, and others have bright light, but all are clear and uncluttered, as can be seen from the examples throughout this blog.

Application

Because this is a Scholastic book, Scholastic's site has a great lesson plan for grades 3-5 when dealing with the Underground Railroad, using this book to help children scaffold their knowledge. (http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=32442) Also, Henry Brown wrote a narrative of the South and his experience, which can be found here (http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/brownbox/menu.html). Perhaps an older class could read both and compare and contrast the two different versions.

Levine, E. (2007). Henry's Freedom Box. New York: Scholastic Press.