Henry's Freedom Box
True Story from the underground Railroad
By: Ellen Levine
Illustrated by: Kadir Nelson
Illustrated by: Kadir Nelson
Presented by: Nicole Cashman
Summary of book -
Henry Brown was a child slave who didn't know his age because slaves didn't have birthdays. Henry and his family (mother and siblings) worked for a master that was good to him and his family but Henry's mother knew that children slaves could be sold at anytime, so she was always afraid of that happening.
One day Henry's master called him and his mother to see him. Henry was nervous in hopes that his master would set him free (as some master's would). Henry's master was very ill so he told them he was giving Henry to his son. He told Henry to work as good as he did for him, obey him, and never to tell a lie. Henry had to say goodbye to his family and left o be a slave picking tobacco leaves. Henry's new master would often poke his slaves with a stick for not working fast enough and if any of the slaves made a mistake, they would be beat.
One day while Henry was in town, he met Nancy, a woman slave. Nancy made Henry so happy and filled with joy that he wanted to sing. He knew he couldn't because slaves were not allowed to sing in public.
A few months later, Henry asked Nancy to be his wife. Henry and Nancy worked for different masters, so they had to get permission to marry from each of them. After Henry and Nancy were married, they had 3 children. Now Henry knew how his mother felt and feared everyday that his children would be sold or given away.
Henry was working in the factory one day and another slave came to him to tell him that his wife and children were just sold. Henry was devastated at he thought that he would never see his his family again.
Henry was done being a slave and came up with a plan for freedom. Henry's plan was to mail/ship himself somewhere where the people didn't believe in slavery. With the help of his friend James and Dr.Smith, Henry was shipped out on a journey to freedom. If Henry made it, he soon would receive a middle name and a birthday.
Henry Brown was a child slave who didn't know his age because slaves didn't have birthdays. Henry and his family (mother and siblings) worked for a master that was good to him and his family but Henry's mother knew that children slaves could be sold at anytime, so she was always afraid of that happening.
One day Henry's master called him and his mother to see him. Henry was nervous in hopes that his master would set him free (as some master's would). Henry's master was very ill so he told them he was giving Henry to his son. He told Henry to work as good as he did for him, obey him, and never to tell a lie. Henry had to say goodbye to his family and left o be a slave picking tobacco leaves. Henry's new master would often poke his slaves with a stick for not working fast enough and if any of the slaves made a mistake, they would be beat.
One day while Henry was in town, he met Nancy, a woman slave. Nancy made Henry so happy and filled with joy that he wanted to sing. He knew he couldn't because slaves were not allowed to sing in public.
A few months later, Henry asked Nancy to be his wife. Henry and Nancy worked for different masters, so they had to get permission to marry from each of them. After Henry and Nancy were married, they had 3 children. Now Henry knew how his mother felt and feared everyday that his children would be sold or given away.
Henry was working in the factory one day and another slave came to him to tell him that his wife and children were just sold. Henry was devastated at he thought that he would never see his his family again.
Henry was done being a slave and came up with a plan for freedom. Henry's plan was to mail/ship himself somewhere where the people didn't believe in slavery. With the help of his friend James and Dr.Smith, Henry was shipped out on a journey to freedom. If Henry made it, he soon would receive a middle name and a birthday.
Setting - Late 1700's early 1800's
Characters - Henry, Henry's Mother and siblings, The Master, The Master's Son (New Master), Nancy, Henry's children, James (Henry's Friend), and Dr. Smith.
Theme - Freedom from Slavery using the underground railroad.
Pictures - The illustrations in this book are paintings done by Kadir Nelson. The illustrations make Henry come alive and help the reader to relate to Henry as a person and as well as his experiences being a slave. These illustrations flow well with the text/content of the book, giving readers the resource of looking at the pictures to help with the comprehension of the vocabulary.
Reader response questions -
1. Before students read this book - What do you know about the Underground Railroad?
2. Why did Henry want to be free from slavery?
2. Why did Henry want to be free from slavery?
Activities -
1. Map out the route that Henry took on his journey for freedom?
2. Put on a play to re-tell the story of Henry's Freedom Box.
3. Make a freedom box as a class. How big would a box have to be to be able to fit an adult man inside to ship him? Do you make holes for air, if so how big will the holes be?
2. Put on a play to re-tell the story of Henry's Freedom Box.
3. Make a freedom box as a class. How big would a box have to be to be able to fit an adult man inside to ship him? Do you make holes for air, if so how big will the holes be?
My Personal Thoughts -
I think this book is a story to read to (3rd-5th graders) when learning about history, slavery, or the Underground Railroad. I think that emphasizing that this story is based on a "true story" will catch students attention and get them excited to read and learn about Henry. I love the pictures in this book and the details really make the characters come alive.
The only thing I wish this book had was more information at the end. I want to know if Henry ever talked to his mother after he was given to another master, if he ever got to see or speak to his wife Nancy or his children again. Don't get me wrong, I love that his freedom plan worked and he made it out of slavery, I just would like more information to his story!
I think this book is a story to read to (3rd-5th graders) when learning about history, slavery, or the Underground Railroad. I think that emphasizing that this story is based on a "true story" will catch students attention and get them excited to read and learn about Henry. I love the pictures in this book and the details really make the characters come alive.
The only thing I wish this book had was more information at the end. I want to know if Henry ever talked to his mother after he was given to another master, if he ever got to see or speak to his wife Nancy or his children again. Don't get me wrong, I love that his freedom plan worked and he made it out of slavery, I just would like more information to his story!
References -
- Henry's Freedom Box | Children's Books Read Aloud. Story time with Miss. Nancy. (December 29,2017). Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE5ukrt8eLU
Nicole, you did a great job with the publication of this blog post. I also really like your ideas for activities to go along with this book. Some others that I thought would compliment the book well would be to have the students recreate the story but this time add a friend for henry who is also traveling in a box next to him. Would they get separated? Would they be able to talk back and forth to each other? This would allow students to critically think about what each of the children would be going through and could they go through it together. Another activity that would use their critical thinking skills would be that they could write a story that talks about his new life five or ten years after his travels.
ReplyDelete