Henry's Freedom Box

Title: Henry's Freedom Box
Author: Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Reading Level: Kindergarten and up
Pages: 38
Genre: Non-fiction picture book






Summary:

Henry was born a slave and he was able to stay with his family for many years. However, one day his master sent him off to work for his son, and Henry had to say goodbye. He always thought of freedom, and he tried to think of how he could achieve it. One day he met a woman named Nancy and he fell in love with her. Once their masters agreed they got married and had children. However, Nancy's master had lost a lot of money and she was worried that he would sell their children. While Henry was at work he tried not to think about it, however, someone came up to him and informed him that his family had been sold to the slave market. He could not leave without his master beating him, but once work was over he raced to the slave market. He tried to find his family and he heard father shouted from his children. They were already racing away with new owners. He quicly tried to find Nancy, but once they met eyes, she was gone. Henry was devasted as he went back to work. Then he got an idea as he was lifting a crate. He went to Dr. Smith, a white doctor, and James for help. He was going to mail himself to the free states. He poured oil of vitriol onto his hand and it burned to the bone. This way his master would have to let him stay home. The next morning Henry climbed into the box and he was mailed off. Although they wrote careful on the box and this side up, henry was tossed around. After 27 hours and and 350 miles, Henry arrived in Philadelphia as a free man. This book portrays full page pictures of Henry's life and journey. I love the coloring of the pages and the facial expressions of the people.

My Reaction:

I think this is a great book. It teaches about slavery with a true story, and shows how the slaves were determined to become free... no matter what it took.

Potential Problems:

Racism is definitely a problem with the slaves. Also when Henry's family is taken from him, and how the owners beat the slaves.

Recommendations:

I think this is a great book for children. It would be great to read to young kids when a teacher is teaching about civil rights and slavery. It's in picture book format, but it is a true story.