Module 6 – Henry’s Freedom Box
Summary
Henry’s Freedom Box is about a Virginia slave, Henry Brown. Henry was born into slavery and dreams of a life of freedom. One day while Henry was working, his wife and children were sold away to another master and he never saw them again. In hopes to escape the brutalities of slavery and the loss of his family, he plans to move where he can have a free and better life in Philadelphia. After great planning, he packed himself into a box and a friend helps to ship him there. After weeks of being cramped in a box, he arrives safely and free. His daring escape and survival gave him the new name Henry “Box” Brown.
My Impression
Though I was happy that he had made it to freedom, I wished that he never had to experience slavery and the loss of his family. The beautiful pictures were realistic and expressed the sadness he felt during the time of his slavery. The only happy and smiling illustrations during that time for him is when he was with his wife and children and when he arrived into his new life of freedom. The flowing portraits and well-chosen wording makes it easy for young readers to understand. They are also able visualize and gain a greater respect for the life and experiences of slaves.
Library Setting
The teacher could also share stories about the slaves escaping underground along an old railroad line. After having shared both stories, the class could create a web design comparing and contrasting the two stories. They would then write an individual essay that compares and contrasts one of the relationships between the two stories. The student could also choose to compare and contrast the main character in the story, Henry “Box” Brown with another similarly influential person such as Harriet Tubman.
Reviews
Although the cover shows a young boy staring intently at the reader, this book is really about Henry Brown as an adult and a staggering decision he made to achieve freedom. Henry, born a slave, hears from his mother that leaves blowing in the wind "are torn from the trees like slave children are torn from their families."When his master grows ill, Henry hopes that he will be freed; instead, he is given to his master's son, and his life becomes worse. Eventually, Henry marries and has children; then his family is sold. With nothing left to lose, he asks a white abolitionist to pack him in a crate so he can be mailed to freedom. The journey is fraught with danger as he travels by train and then steamboat, but 27 hours later, he reaches Philadelphia. A brief author's note confirms the details of the story, but it's the dramatic artwork that brings the events emphatically to life. According to the flap copy, an antique lithograph of Brown inspired Nelson's paintings, which use crosshatched pencil lines layered with watercolors and oil paints. The technique adds a certain look of age to the art and also gives the pictures the heft they need to visualize Brown's life. Transcending technique is the humanity Nelson imbues in his characters, especially Brown and his mother--her dream of freedom deferred, his amazingly achieved.
(2007, February 1). Booklist starred [Review of the book Henry’s Freedom Box]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
In a true story that is both heartbreaking and joyful, Levine recounts the history of Henry "Box" Brown, born into slavery. Henry works in a tobacco factory, marries another slave, and fathers three children; but then his family is sold, and Henry realizes he will never see them again. With nothing to lose, Henry persuades his friend James and a sympathetic white man to mail him in a wooden box to Philadelphia and freedom. Levine maintains a dignified, measured tone, telling her powerful story through direct, simple language. A note at the end explains the historical basis for the fictionalized story. Accompanying Levine's fine, controlled telling are pencil, watercolor, and oil paint illustrations by Kadir Nelson that resonate with beauty and sorrow. When Henry's mother holds him as a child on her lap, they gaze out at bright autumn leaves, and the tenderness is palpable, even as she calls to his attention the leaves that "are torn from the trees like slave children are torn from their families." There is no sugarcoating here, and Henry is not miraculously reunited with his wife and children; however, the conclusion, as Henry celebrates his new freedom, is moving and satisfying.
(2007, March/April). Born Book [Review of the book Henry’s Freedom Box]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Gr 2-5-Inspired by an actual 1830s lithograph, this beautifully crafted picture book briefly relates the story of Henry "Box" Brown's daring escape from slavery. Torn from his mother as a child, and then forcibly separated from his wife and children as an adult, a heartsick and desperate Brown conspired with abolitionists and successfully traveled north to Philadelphia in a packing crate. His journey took just over one full day, during which he was often sideways or upside down in a wooden crate large enough to hold him, but small enough not to betray its contents. The story ends with a reimagining of the lithograph that inspired it, in which Henry Brown emerges from his unhappy confinement-in every sense of the word-and smiles upon his arrival in a comfortable Pennsylvania parlor. Particularly considering the broad scope of Levine's otherwise well-written story, some of the ancillary "facts" related in her text are unnecessarily dubious; reports vary, for instance, as to whether the man who sealed Henry into the crate was a doctor or a cobbler. And, while the text places Henry's arrival on March 30, other sources claim March 24 or 25. Nelson's illustrations, always powerful and nuanced, depict the evolution of a self-possessed child into a determined and fearless young man. While some of the specifics are unfortunately questionable, this book solidly conveys the generalities of Henry Brown's story.-Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
(2007, March 1). School Library Journal [Review of the book Henry’s Freedom Box]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Module 6 – Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride
Summary
This informational book is based on a true story about two friends, Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt, who decided to go for a special night time flight over Washington, D.C. in an airplane. The black and white illustrations are full of detail, historically accurate, and remarkable to look at. The book shares a few facts about each of these influential women as they are getting ready for a dinner party that night at the White House. During dinner, Amelia tells an exciting story about flying when the sky gets dark. The two ladies decide to venture out on a night time flight of their own to Baltimore and back.
The story is simple, fun, historical, and symbolically significant (without being didactic or political). The black and white illustrations are interesting to look at, and very detailed (even the pattern on the White House china in the background is historically accurate).
With their colorful personalities, and the strength to defy cultural expectations, Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt make great role models for little girls -- and it doesn't hurt for them to understand that the freedoms they will surely take for granted in their lives were won for all of us by women like these.
My Impression
This book captures the spirit and friendship between these two unique women who are exceptional role models. This informative book is both historical and interesting for young readers. The historical elements are written in a literary manner that does not expunge didactic or political views.
Library Setting
The teacher and students could compare and contrast this story to other stories about flying. Together, they could discuss the similarities and differences about all accounts of flying.
Another idea is that the students could write an essay about someone they would like to have dinner with. The topic: “If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?”
Reviews
Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. Yes, Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt did sneak off for an airplane ride after dinner at the White House. But, no, Earhart did not pilot the plane, as she does in this picture book for older children. Ryan makes clear in her long author's note at the book's conclusion that she has changed that fact to make the story more "exciting." It's true, the story does work better without the two Eastern Air Transport pilots flying the plane per regulations (though Amelia and Eleanor both took turns at the controls). Still, the central event of this "based on true story" piece of fiction didn't happen, and kids probably won't read the author's note to clarify the text. Too bad about the confusion, because this book has so much going for it--an engaging text and simply wonderful pencil illustrations that not only capture the black-and-white visual sensibility of the 1930s but also feature inventive show-offy scenes--the White House surrounded by masses of cherry blossoms, an aerial view of the Capitol at night, and the captivating dust-jacket illustration of Eleanor and Amelia that will immediately draw readers to the book. Both Ryan and Selznick clearly did their research, and one of the book's chief attributes is its depiction, in both words and pictures, of two strong women--really pioneers. Despite the change in the incident, children will get a sense of the importance of Earhart and Roosevelt to America's history in general, and women's history in particular.
(1999, October 15). Booklist [Review of the book Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
Ryan and Selznick skillfully blend fact and fiction for a rip-roaring tale of an utterly credible adventure. On April 20, 1933, Amelia Earhart had dinner at the White House with her friend, Eleanor Roosevelt. Amelia's description of flying at night so entranced Eleanor that the two of them, still in their evening clothes, flew in a Curtis Condor twin-motor airplane and were back in time for dessert. Eleanor herself had studied for a pilot's license, but had to be content driving instead. Selznick has created marvelous graphite pictures, with slight washes of color, for scenes based on accounts and descriptions of the evening, right down to the china on the White House table. Using a slightly exaggerated style and a superb sense of line and pattern, he plays with varying perspectives, close-ups, and panoramas to create a vivid visual energy that nicely complements the text. There is sheer delight in the friends' shared enjoyment of everything from a formal dinner and fine gloves to the skies they navigated. A final historical photograph shows the two on the plane that night.
(1999). Kirkus Review [Review of the book Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
In this sparkling picture book based on a true incident, Ryan (Riding Freedom, with Selznick) proves that Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt truly were "birds of a feather." Friends in real life, America's First Lady invited the "First Lady of the Air" to dinner at the White House in 1933. Eleanor, inspired by Amelia's descriptions of Washington viewed from her plane at night, accepts the pilot's offer of an after-dinner flight over the capital. Before dessert can be served, and over the protests of the Secret Service agents, the two are off to the airport and up in the sky, thrilling to the brilliance of the city below. Hewing closely to documented accounts, Ryan's inviting text adds drama and draws parallels between the two protagonists with fictional touches: she places them alone together in the plane (an author's note explains that in fact they were accompanied by two male pilots) and adds a final scene in which Eleanor takes Amelia for a zippy ride around the city in her brand-new car. Selznick's illustrations, black-and-white graphite accented with touches of purple pencil, both capture the vibrancy of his subjects and evoke the feel of a more glamorous era. A brief but compelling slice from the lives of two determined, outspoken and passionate women. Ages 5-9. (Oct.)
(1999, September 27). Publishers Weekly [Review of the book Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride]. Retrieved by http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=348a7a1411b2abcdf931eb6dbc56bee8
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