“Henry’s Freedom Box”

Henry’s Freedom Box
Author: Ellen Levine

Illustrator: Kadir Nelson

Genre: Realistic fiction

Award: Caldecott Honor

Grade Level: 3^rd to 5^th grade

“Henry watched a bird soar high above the trees. Free bird! Happy bird!”

The book opens with an illustration of a young Henry sitting on a wooden box, staring straight into the eyes of the reader; angry and confused. As you move along the pages, young Henry eyes give an impression of a boy who has never found happiness. The only time you see a smile in this eye is when he is with his family but that too is taken away from him. This book is about the journey of Henry finding freedom after losing everything he loved. He is taken away from his family as a young boy to work in a factory of tobacco leaves. He finds a little bit of happiness from his wife and family but just like he was snatched away from his family. His children and wife are snatched away from him. He gets desperate and asks for help from a doctor who does not like the idea of slavery. The doctor agrees to help Henry. Henry pours himself a bottle of oil of vitriol on his hand to make it look more believable just so his master will let him stay for the day. He experiences near death on the ship when the box he is in is flipped downside up. He goes against all odds to get his freedom in Philadelphia and finally he does.

The realistic illustration along with the bold text really bring the book to life. The page style is done perfectly. One thing to note is that as he grows old, the text becomes longer. The illustration is done through the readers perspective and often will find yourself watching the characters on the book as if you were there. A must book to have! 

Thoughts:

This book made me think how lucky I am to experience the world without worrying that someday I will be taken away from my parents. I did not have to grow in a place where I would be owned by someone. Henry is a compassionate man who had nothing but love for his family. A brave man to dare to run away from his master. And a smart man to have finally found his freedom against all odds. This book is perfect for 3-5 graders to teach them about family, value and appreciating freedom.