Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children

books:


	• Henry's Freedom Box (Caldecott Honor Book) Ellen Levine Scholastic Press, 2007 - 40 pages average customer review:based on 13 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Spare story of one man's struggle against slavery

This story documents the slavery and eventual freedom of one man. Henry and his brothers and sisters work for a good master. However, on his deathbed, the master gives Henry to his son, separating Henry from the rest of his family forever. Henry works well in the master's son's tobacco factory, presumably avoiding the beatings of the foreman. Later, he meets Nancy, a slave of another master. The two are allowed to marry and live together, and eventually they have three children. Unfortunately, Nancy's master suffers a financial loss, and Henry is informed one day that his wife and children have been sold.

The loss of this family is forever too, and Henry is now spurred to seek his freedom so he'll never have to suffer a loss like that again. With the help of two friends- one another slave, one a white doctor who doesn't believe in slavery- he literally mails himself to freedom in Philadelphia.

What I liked most about this book was that the author does not force an emotional response out of the reader because she doesn't have to. Young readers- as well as adults- can immediately appreciate the horror of being separated from your family as a child and then losing your children. The author presents the losses, but doesn't dictate the grief and anger that the main character must have felt. This makes the reader's response that much more powerful.

Although Henry does eventually gain his freedom, his previous losses haunt the end of the story, just as they must have haunted him and countless other American slaves.

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Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children

Henry, a sweet child born into slavery in the early 1800s, did not know his exact age but did know that he wanted freedom. That aching desire to escape the bonds of slavery deepened when the plantation's dying owner, rather than set him free, gave Henry to his son. Years of hard work in the new master's factory under terrible conditions, and another agonizing separation from beloved family members, strengthened Henry's resolve to find a way out. With the help of members of the Underground Railroad, Henry stowed himself inside a wooden crate and was delivered through the post to Philadelphia.

This inspiring book is based on the true story of Henry "Box" Brown, one of the most famous people to escape slavery through the Underground Railroad. The reader cannot help but feel moved by Henry's sadness and courage through the poignant illustrations; these stunning paintings rightly led the book to garner recognition as a Caldecott Honor Book in 2008. With the U.S. government having issued a formal apology to African Americans for slavery, Henry's Freedom Box constitutes a valuable resource for teaching younger children about some of the heart-wrenching experiences and harsh working conditions that were associated with slavery.

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Excellent

The book is brand new and I received it during the expected delivery time. I am very pleased!

Courageous

HENRY'S FREEDOM BOX tells the story of Henry "Box" Brown, the slave who shipped himself out of slavery in a wooden box. As a child, Henry's master treated he and his family well, but his mother always reminded him that just as leaves blow in the wind after being torn from a tree, slave children could be torn from their families. Henry was in fact separated from his family when he was given to his master's son. As he grew older he met and fell in love and was eventually allowed to marry. Henry and his wife were able to live together and raise a family, but unfortunately his wife and children were sold at a slave market, leaving him alone. Overcome with grief, Henry began to think more and more about freedom and ultimately, with the help of friends, executed the plan to ship himself to Pennsylvania, where he could be free.

Ellen Levine has done an excellent job retelling the story of Henry "Box" Brown. Kadir Nelson's illustrations really enhanced the story, conveying just the right amount of emotion. As the story moves along, readers can sense Henry's fear, grief, desperation, and hope. HENRY'S FREEDOM BOX is a great book for young readers because it highlights the fact that many slaves did not simply accept their circumstances, rather, they found brave, inventive ways to obtain freedom.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

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Story finally being told

This is a story that all children should hear - enslaved people fought to be free in very unconventional ways. I would also recommend the story of William and Ellen Craft's escape from slavery.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

Henry Brown doesn't know how old he is. Nobody keeps records of slaves' birthdays. All the time he dreams about freedom, but that dream seems farther away than ever when he is torn from his family and put to work in a warehouse. When Henry grows up and marries, he is again devastated when his family is sold at the slave market. Then one day, as he lifts a crate at the warehouse, he knows exactly what he must do: He will mail himself to the North. After an arduous journey in the crate, Henry finally has a birthday -- his first day of freedom.

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