HENRY'S FREEDOM BOX

Henry's Freedom Box is a beautiful yet heart-wrenching multicultural biography about a former slave who escaped through the Underground Railroad to find freedom. Written by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson and published in 2007, this beautifully told real-life story is perfect for grades 3-5. Through this book they are able to learn more about what the life of a slave was really like in the 1800's and what many of those slaves had to endure to find their own freedom using the Underground Railroad network.

The full-page drawings play a crucial role in the telling of the story, as they bring visual imagery to Henry's story, conveying both emotion and description through pictures.
With its riveting storyline and beautiful illustrations, that pull the reader into Henry's world, this books is perfect for classroom use during a Social Studies lesson. It takes an average History lesson out of the text book and gives it new life and meaning as the students get to follow the main character through his arduous journey to freedom through his wooden box. Students can find greater appreciation for their own freedom as they see how much Henry was willing to endure to gain his.


Discussion Questions:

- What does the word freedom really mean?

- What does it mean to say that someone is a slave?

- What would it feel like to never get to celebrate your birthday or have your family taken away?

- Do you think that you could be a good worker, like Henry, if you were treated that way?

- How do you think masters saw their slaves?  What in the story makes you think that?

- Why do you think Henry would go through so much to travel inside of an uncomfortable box?

Motivational Activity:

Students will get a chance to make their own freedom box with an old shoe box.  However, instead of using their box to find freedom, like Henry had to do, the students will have the opportunity to work in small groups to come up with things that they are grateful for because of their freedom.  Students will discuss the things in the book that were taken away from Henry and the things that they now enjoy everyday because of their freedom and then place those things on pieces of paper before adding them to the box. Students will then get to play a game where the teacher will play an old African Spiritual and the different groups must keep trading boxes like hot potato. When the music stops whoever had a box still in their hand must take out a slip of paper and share one freedom that the writer of that slip of paper was is grateful for. The game continues until all the slips have been read or the lesson time is up.

If you like this Biography Book, here are some other titles you might enjoy:

*Harriet Tubman (2008) : Grades 5-12

*If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King (1990) : Grades 2-5


Resource:

Levine, E.  (2007).  Henry's freedom box: A true story from the underground railroad.  New York, NY: Scholastic