Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad/ Caldecott

Plot Summary:

            Henry is a slave who gets sold away from his family as a boy, so later when Henry’s own wife and children get sold; he knows he will never see them again. Incredibly said, Henry has an abolitionist friend put him into a box and mail him to freedom in Philadelphia. Drama ensues while Henry is in the box; he comes dangerously close to being caught by some deck hands as well as being hungry and extremely uncomfortable. Finally Henry makes it to Philadelphia and freedom.

Personal Reaction:

            I think that the fact that this story is true makes it more interesting. It is not the most interesting story of its type, but the illustrations are incredible. The artist uses warm and cool colors to coincide with the mood of the book, for example, the scene in front of the fireplace with his family is done with warm colors and the scene a few pages over, Henry is depicted with his back to the reader and in cool, dark colors representative of his dark mood. In addition cross hatching is used to make different textures for example, the freedom box itself. All of the characters of the book are realistic and their facial expressions give the book drama that it would otherwise lack.

Levine, E., & Nelson, K. (2007). Henry's freedom box. New York: Scholastic Press.