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

I use this book with my reading groups my students were amazed that someone could Mail themselves in a box. They enjoyed it

I purchased this book to read to my students. They were very interested in learning more about slavery, however, in second grade, I didn't want to take it TOO far. I remembered this book, and how it really touched my heart. As I read it to them, I could feel the sadness in the room. However, I also had many students begin discussions on why this was even allowed and how they would miss their friends who were not the same as them. It didn't only teach a history lesson, it taught my class how to be better leaders, friends, and people towards others who are different.

This review has spoilers but since it's a 40-page picture book, you will find out the ending of the book within 10 minutes of starting to read it anyway!Henry's Freedom Box is the true story of Henry "Box" Brown, a man who escaped slavery by mailing himself to freedom.While written for young children, this book doesn't sugar coat how horrible slavery was. The very first page tells us that Henry doesn't know when his birthday is because slaves weren't allowed to know their birthdays. However, it did make me uncomfortable I read, "Henry's master had been good to Henry and his family," because I don't think you can really be good to someone if you are that person's "master".The master dies and leaves Henry to his son. Henry marries another slave and has three children. The most horrible part of the book is when the master's son sells Henry's wife and children. Henry runs to the center of town just as his wife and children are being driven away. At this point in the story, my six year old was almost crying.The story ends somewhat happily. Henry makes it to freedom but he never finds his wife and kids. After I finished reading it to him, my six year old told me he was afraid he was going to have nightmares because Henry never found his family. It's a conundrum - I want my kids to learn the history of this country but at the same time, I want to shield them from all bad things. They need to learn this stuff sometime though - I can't keep them in a bubble forever!Kadir Nelson's illustrations are fabulous, especially the paintings of Henry as a young boy. The pain and sadness in Henry's eyes is heartbreaking. This was a tough story but it was also amazing. I can't imagine stuffing myself into a box for over 24 hours. The perseverance of Henry "Box" Brown is truly remarkable.

I ordered the book for my grandson. I wanted him to have books in his collection that had characters that resemble him and told a story about life that he would remember. My grandson was diagnosed with Autism. He really enjoyed the book, it keep his attention . He shared the book during his first week of school during show and tell. His teacher was really interested and ordered the Audio book. During reading she shared the story and asked the children to draw there favorite picture. My grandson’s picture is attached. I love it!!!Thanks

Everything about this is incredible - the art has so much emotion and feeling imbued into it. You really can feel the story just in the images. The art is realistic and conveys so much detail (just look at the cover to get a sense of how powerful the art is).As for the story, it's masterfully told - it has really good pacing for a children's story, the emotions unfold naturally and powerfully, and it really conveys its message in a clear and consistent manner. Children's books can really be atrocious in how they tell a story but this book is excellent.

Well illustrated book! There are about 3-4 pages where reading the text is a little difficult to read. Not sure how I feel about a master being "good" when they treated people as property (tables or cows or wagons) rather than people. If you want a book that simply states the facts, then this is a good book.CONS: If you want explanations of who every person is, a detailed description of how he felt when his family was taken from him or want to know what happened to him after he was free....please don't buy this book.PROS: However, if you are someone who is open to speaking with your children about how they think Henry felt when his family was sold off or how he wasn't allowed to show emotion because of where he was and how he was viewed, willing to introduce the term "abolition" without it being written in the book (using context clues), or explaining the gaps that others feel take away from the book...then this is a really great book. The Author has a note at the end of the story that explains a little more about the story and what the Underground Railroad was.Initially I thought of returning this book. However after reading it once more, found that I could use this book as a bare bones open discussion about slavery with my younger kids and a good place to start for research on Henry's life for older kids since the bibliography is simple.

I gave this book to my two granddaughters, ages 7 and 8 years old. They loved the book! Some of their comments were about how creative and brave Henry was to mail himself to freedom. The beautiful illustrations in the book also peaked their interest, especially the African American Boy on the cover. As an African American Family we value positive information about other African Americans to share with our children.

This was such a great book. Igot it for my four year old who I would like to be as knowledgeable as possible on the poor treatment of African Americans in our history. I was uncomfortable with the author describing the master as "good" but it lead to a discussion with my son so that was a valuable lesson there as well. Please read this to your children.

What a fantastic book, with the most powerful illustrations! A true story telling the tale of the pain of growing up as a slave. This is a must for any history topic on slavery in Key stage 1 and above. I highly recommend.

Beautiful picture book - great for introducing the topic of slavery with lots to discuss with children of all ages.

I think I would recommend this book to everyone who care about slavery and think everyone should be equal and live in peaceful time.

A beautifully illustrated book with a powerful message.

The illustrations by Kadir Nelson are exquisite, and this historical true story is told in a simple way that children can appreciate.