Henry's Freedom Box (Caldecott Honor Book) (Hardcover)

by Ellen Levine (Author), Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Levine (Freedom's Children) recounts the true story of Henry Brown, a slave who mailed himself to freedom. Thanks to Nelson's (Ellington Was Not a Street) penetrating portraits, readers will feel as if they can experience Henry's thoughts and feelings as he matures through unthinkable adversity. As a boy, separated from his mother, he goes to work in his new master's tobacco factory and eventually meets and marries another slave, with whom he has three children. In a heartwrenching scene depicted in a dramatically shaded pencil, watercolor and oil illustration, Henry watches as his family—suddenly sold in the slave market—disappears down the road. Henry then enlists the help of an abolitionist doctor and mails himself in a wooden crate "to a place where there are no slaves!" He travels by horse-drawn cart, steamboat and train before his box is delivered to the Philadelphia address of the doctor's friends on March 30, 1849. Alongside Henry's anguished thoughts en route, Nelson's clever cutaway images reveal the man in his cramped quarters (at times upside-down). A concluding note provides answers to questions that readers may wish had been integrated into the story line, such as where did Henry begin his journey? (Richmond, Va.); how long did it take? (27 hours). Readers never learn about Henry's life as a free man—or, perhaps unavoidably, whether he was ever reunited with his family. Still, these powerful illustrations will make readers feel as if they have gained insight into a resourceful man and his extraordinary story. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)
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From School Library Journal
Grade 2–5—Inspired by an actual 1830s lithograph, this beautifully crafted picture book briefly relates the story of Henry "Box" Brown's daring escape from slavery. Torn from his mother as a child, and then forcibly separated from his wife and children as an adult, a heartsick and desperate Brown conspired with abolitionists and successfully traveled north to Philadelphia in a packing crate. His journey took just over one full day, during which he was often sideways or upside down in a wooden crate large enough to hold him, but small enough not to betray its contents. The story ends with a reimagining of the lithograph that inspired it, in which Henry Brown emerges from his unhappy confinement—in every sense of the word—and smiles upon his arrival in a comfortable Pennsylvania parlor. Particularly considering the broad scope of Levine's otherwise well-written story, some of the ancillary "facts" related in her text are unnecessarily dubious; reports vary, for instance, as to whether the man who sealed Henry into the crate was a doctor or a cobbler. And, while the text places Henry's arrival on March 30, other sources claim March 24 or 25. Nelson's illustrations, always powerful and nuanced, depict the evolution of a self-possessed child into a determined and fearless young man. While some of the specifics are unfortunately questionable, this book solidly conveys the generalities of Henry Brown's story.—Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 043977733X
• ISBN-13: 978-0439777339
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,857 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You're never too old to read and learn from a picture book!, February 8, 2007

By	Vickie Beene Beavers "vbeene" (Atlanta, Ga. United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Had the story not been documented, one would believe that the story of a fugitive slave shipping himself to freedom by freight mail was merely a urban legend. In Henry Freedom's Box this unbelievable but daring true story is brought to life. The story authored by Ellen Levine succesfully traces Brown's early life to his ultimate escape to freedom at the age thirty-three. Award-winning illustrator Kadir Nelson creates such realistic intimacy with his muted but intense illustrations of former Virginia slave Henry "Box" Brown. In just two pages, the artist convincingly conveys the painful and risktaking trip of Mr. Henry "Box" Brown. This scene, this story will touch any person who can empathize with any harrowing escape.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cost of Freedom, June 1, 2007

By	Kemie Nix "Founder, Children's Literature for... (Peachtree City, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Born a slave, Henry and his siblings worked in the "big house" for his master -- who, on his deathbed, gave Henry to his son. During the years he worked for the son in his tobacco warehouse, Henry grew to manhood
and married a girl who was enslaved by a neighbor. They had children. His wife accurately discerned that her master had debts that might cause him to sell his slaves. This was done one day while Henry was working.
At lunchtime, he caught a departing glimpse of his family members, and then he never saw them again.

After weeks of despair, Henry had an idea while he was moving a crate. He would mail himself to freedom.This true story is told in understated prose which only enhances its power. With realistic paintings in a dark
palette appropriate for Henry's sad experiences, there are no smiles in this book except on the page depicting Henry's family together. His wife has a gentle half-smile. On the last page when Henry is climbing
out of his box in Philadelphia, both the mailed and the recipients are smiling.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spare story of one man's struggle against slavery, January 13, 2008

By	dnk "dnkboston" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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.