Henry's Freedom Box
Author: Ellen Levine
Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: Caldecott Medal
Grade Level: 3-5
Henry's Freedom Box is about a little boy named Henry. Henry does not know how old he is because he is a slave. When he is still a young boy he is separated from his family and is forced to work under a different master. Henry ends up growing up and marrying another slave. One day at an auction Henry's wife and children get sold to a master who lives far away. Henry loses contact with his family. Henry then formulates a plan to escape to the north in order to obtain his freedom. He is placed in a shipping container and is placed on a boat. When he makes it to the north he has found his freedom, and this day becomes his birthday.
This book can be used to teach students about slavery and how different the United States used to be. This book will open students eyes to how hard their lives were and how they were treated so unfairly. I would use this book as a component of a social studies unit.
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