This book is based on a true story about Henry Brown who is a slave to a “good” man, but the owner dies and left him to his son (Henry thought he would be set free when his master dies), so he wasn’t good enough to free his slaves upon his death. Henry has always craved freedom and all he dreams about is being free. That dream however seems to be getting further and further away especially after his own family is sold for money due to the hard times at the plantation, he is then forced to work at a warehouse. Henry never reunited with his family which seems like a driving force in his quest for freedom. Henry eventually grows up and marries his wife Nancy, she belongs to another master, but they are able to live together, they end up having children but, Henry is once again devastated when his family is sold at the slave market when he was at work. Henry’s family disappeared once again from his life, he hand to endure this pain all over again. One day, when working he knows exactly what he has to do in order to reach this freedom, he has to mail himself to Philadelphia, PA where there are no slaves and with the help of Dr. Smith (A white male) he does. After a difficult journey in the box crate (27 hours in a wooden crate, upside down. “Blood rushed to his head, his face got hot. His eyes ached. He thought his head would burst. He was afraid to move”). Henry finally reaches freedom and considers it his birthday. Growing up Henry never knew his birthday because slaves weren’t allowed to know their birthday, it wasn’t a right, but after traveling and enduring such a travel he finally gets a birthday (March, 30, 1849). The book also provided additional information about Henry and the Underground Railroad, Henry endured so much and continued to fight for his freedom.
The story shows how Henry Brown has no rights, how slaves are considered property and can be easily sold which is inhuman like. Henry was willing to mail himself in this wooden create to an area in the United States where there was no slavery despite the extreme danger of this mission ( his life), this shows how inhumane and cruel the concept of slavery was and is to the reader. The illustrations were full of such detail and expressiveness. The illustrations are a combination of drawing, oil and water colors which shows such an artistic technique being utilized. The text also received the Caldecott Honor, the illustrations and textual words manage to successfully convey the cruelty of slavery without the use of being overtly violent, although it is implied it is a suitable option for younger readers. I would give this book a four out of four stars, Henry shows bravery and ingenuity constantly throughout the book. The book itself is more gentle on the topic of slavery then other books. Readers will feel all sorts of feelings, the reader’s will get drawn into each page feeling what Henry is feeling. I feel readers will be engaged in this book because the story follows henry from childhood to adulthood, so child readers will be empathetic towards his story and they can find symbolism as they read the story which will help them to understand what the characters feel.
Title: Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad
Author : Ellen Levine
Publisher: New York : Scholastic Press
Publication Date: 2007
ISBN: 9780439777339
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