Henry's Freedom Box
Author: Ellen Levine
Illustrator: Kadir Nelson Publisher: Scholastic Press Year of Publication: 2007 Genre: Historical Non-fiction Kirkus Review: Starred Review Summary: This story is about the life of a young boy born into slavery, who then marries another slave. He loses his wife and family to another slave trader, and then finally gains freedom. This story is about Henry's life as a slave and then his escape. |
Summary of Professional Reviews: The reviewers seem to find this story very moving, because of the words and the illustrations. Henry's gaze on the front cover portrays him as a solemn boy and he seems "present" in every scene in the book. This is a profound and powerful story of pride and integrity and will leave readers moved by the end; although some reviewers believe that there will be readers with a problem with the ending.
Review by Sarah Custard: This story is moving, powerful, and very real. There was no sugar coating this story, which is good for children because they should know what slavery is, even if it is first at a young age. The story starts out very sad and dark, but ends in a happy manner. In every illustration, you can feel Henry's emotions, regardless of whether or not you can see his face. Even in the |
I think this book could be used to teach a variety of things within the classroom. The first, and most important, way that I would use this book as a teacher is to teach the students about slavery. Slavery was a major part of our history and a huge time period for the African American culture. I think it would be most appropriately used during Black History Month because that is when children will most likely be learning most of their information about the African American culture. It is also a way to show how to use watercolor and oil to create different illustrations.
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