APA Reference: Levine, Ellen. (2007). Henry's freedom box: A true story from the underground railroad. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.
Impressions: I had read a social studies passage years ago about Henry and his box and was intrigued to hear more about his story. One thing that stuck out to me was that when Henry was happy with his family he would hum or sing. After his family was sold he didn't sing anymore and it wasn't until he heard a bird singing that he paid attention to the freedom the bird had. The music played a fairly big part of happiness and freedom- I expected there to be music at the end of this story when he was in Philadelphia, and was surprised there wasn't any. I enjoyed this book because it narrated Brown's journey to freedom. Knowing that this book is for children I feel that the book stopped in the appropriate place, but as an adult reader I was wanting to know more about what he found when he got to Philadelphia and was he ever reconnected with his wife. I may have to go read some more about this now since it has sparked my interest- and a good book will do that.
Professional Review: 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.
[Review of Henry's freedom box: A true story from the underground railroad by Catherine Threadgill]. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Henrys-Freedom-Box-Underground-Railroad/dp/043977733X
Library Uses: I believe that this book would be great with older readers to help show the desperation slaves had to escape to freedom. I think it would be fun and out of the ordinary to read a read aloud picture book to older readers to introduce the Underground Railroad and slavery.
