Book+Review

Book Review

** Children’s Book Review **

// Henry’s Freedom Box // is a true story about Henry “Box” Brown. In this book, Henry starts out as a boy who dreams to be free one day. At a young age, Henry is separated from his mother and family and is given to his master’s son as a slave to work in a tobacco factory. While working hard in the tobacco factory, Henry grows older and meets a girl and eventually marries her. Henry and his wife have several children and seem to be very happy until one day Henry discovers that his family has been sold at the slave market. Henry is very sad and remembers his dream of being free and decides to pursue it. Henry gathers a box and states that he will mail himself to freedom. Henry places his trust with his friend, Dr. Smith who is against slavery and ships himself in the box to Philadelphia, Pa. Henry travels for twenty-seven hours straight by a horse-drawn cart, a steamboat, and by train. During this journey Henry had to be very quiet and careful not to be discovered. Henry finally arrives at his destination, Philadelphia, and at last his dream has come true. Henry “Box “Brown is now a free man! This book falls under the subject areas of History and Culture. It contains a couple of content concepts such as growing up and family. Vocabulary consists of the following words: master, beckoned, swirled, mistress, slave market, vitriol, railway, pried, and Underground Railroad. It covers the NCSS themes in Culture, Time Continuity and Change, People Places and Environment, Individual Development and Identity, Individuals Groups and Institutions, Power Authority Governance and Civic Ideals and Practices. H 8.2.3 D Identify and describe conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations in PA History. H 8.3.3 A Identify contributions of individuals and groups to U.S. History This book is appropriate for grades 3-5. This is a great book to use as a read aloud and a book talk could even be used to draw the students in so that they could explore the book in the classroom library or even during independent reading. My suggested method of using this book would be to introduce a unit on Slavery/ Underground Railroad. I would use //Henry’s Freedom Box// to perform a read aloud as whole group instruction. Before doing the read aloud, as a whole group, using chart paper we would make a KWL chart. We would chart what we know about Slavery and the Underground Railroad, and what we want to learn about Slavery/ Underground Railroad. After the read aloud, we would chart what we learned and cite lines from the book to prove those facts. Using the vocabulary we would define and discuss the vocabulary words and make a word wall, also before the read aloud. After the book has been read I will also have students write in their journals telling their experience of traveling in the box instead of Henry using descriptive words and making use of their new vocabulary words. (How they felt, what their journey to freedom was like, and how they felt once they were free) I would then have students share to the class what they wrote and we would discuss as a whole group. To extend this unit, I would have the students work with a partner and using the internet research other people who helped with the Underground Railroad, create“People Who Made A Difference” books, and present them to the class.
 * Introduction: **
 * ** Title: **// Henry’s Freedom Box - A True Story from the Underground Railroad //
 * ** Author: ** Ellen Levine
 * ** Illustrator: ** Kadir Nelson
 * ** Publisher: ** Scholastic Press: New York
 * ** Copyright Date: ** 2007
 * What is the book about? **
 * What are the related subject areas, content concepts, or vocabulary found in this book? **
 * What NCSS Themes and PA Social Studies Standards does the book cover? **
 * What grade level is it appropriate for? **
 * What is your suggested method to use this book in the classroom? **