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Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom
In a moving, lyrical tale about the cost and fragility of freedom, a New York Times best-selling author and an acclaimed artist follow the life of a man who courageously shipped himself out of slavery.
What have I to fear?
My master broke every promise to me.
I lost my beloved wife and our dear children.
All, sold South. Neither my time nor my body is mine.
The breath of life is all I have to lose.
And bondage is suffocating me.
Henry Brown wrote that long before he came to be known as Box, he "entered the world a slave." He was put to work as a child and passed down from one generation to the next -- as property. When he was an adult, his wife and children were sold away from him out of spite. Henry Brown watched as his family left bound in chains, headed to the deeper South. What more could be taken from him? But then hope -- and help -- came in the form of the Underground Railroad. Escape!
In stanzas of six lines each, each line representing one side of a box, celebrated poet Carole Boston Weatherford powerfully narrates Henry Brown's story of how he came to send himself in a box from slavery to freedom. Strikingly illustrated in rich hues and patterns by artist Michele Wood, Box is augmented with historical records and an introductory excerpt from Henry's own writing as well as a time line, notes from the author and illustrator, and a bibliography.
What have I to fear?
My master broke every promise to me.
I lost my beloved wife and our dear children.
All, sold South. Neither my time nor my body is mine.
The breath of life is all I have to lose.
And bondage is suffocating me.
Henry Brown wrote that long before he came to be known as Box, he "entered the world a slave." He was put to work as a child and passed down from one generation to the next -- as property. When he was an adult, his wife and children were sold away from him out of spite. Henry Brown watched as his family left bound in chains, headed to the deeper South. What more could be taken from him? But then hope -- and help -- came in the form of the Underground Railroad. Escape!
In stanzas of six lines each, each line representing one side of a box, celebrated poet Carole Boston Weatherford powerfully narrates Henry Brown's story of how he came to send himself in a box from slavery to freedom. Strikingly illustrated in rich hues and patterns by artist Michele Wood, Box is augmented with historical records and an introductory excerpt from Henry's own writing as well as a time line, notes from the author and illustrator, and a bibliography.
56 pages, Hardcover
First published April 14, 2020
About the author
Carole Boston Weatherford
92 books388 followersCarole Boston Weatherford is a children's book author and poet who mines the past for family stories, traditions, and struggles. A number of CAROLE's books tell the stories of African-American historical figures such as Harriet Tubman, Jesse Owens, and Billie Holiday. Other books recount historical events such as the Greensboro Sit-ins and the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. CAROLE's books have received a wide variety of awards, including a Caldecott Honour for “Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People To Freedom”.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
February 10, 2021
This is the story of a slave's ingenious and desperate attempt to escape to freedom. After the heartbreaking separation from his family when they were sold off, Henry Brown decided he had nothing to lose. So he decided to mail himself to freedom in a shipping container.
The writing is poetic, raw with fear and hope. It has taken into account real historical records along with Henry Brown's own words. It is a short read, but a very significant one.
The writing is poetic, raw with fear and hope. It has taken into account real historical records along with Henry Brown's own words. It is a short read, but a very significant one.
February 24, 2021
Incredible story!
June 27, 2020
I was distracted rather than interested in the illustrations. Similarly, the storytelling in verse was okay, not the greatest. It’s the story and Brown’s perilous journey that is the true story in its significance. His will to be free even when the deck was stacked against him- horrible slaveholders who duped him and his want to be with the family he made.
Then the creativity and desperation of his choice to mail himself in a box with a few oxygen holes being flipped upside down and jostled everywhere- including being knocked unconscious.
It’s strength personified.
Then the creativity and desperation of his choice to mail himself in a box with a few oxygen holes being flipped upside down and jostled everywhere- including being knocked unconscious.
It’s strength personified.
January 28, 2023
This is a powerful retelling of the story of Henry Brown, who traveled to freedom inside a box. This was one of my favorite Underground Railroad stories when I was a child, because it was so concrete, vivid, and yet unimaginable. I spent a lot of time thinking about how hard it would be to survive, and whenever I wanted to complain about feeling uncomfortable or claustrophobic, I would remember that he literally packed himself into a box to get to freedom and stayed in it for days, even when inattentive and irresponsible workers turned it upside down.
This nonfiction picture book tells the story in short, effective poems, and it also covers significant parts of his life before and afterwards. One thing I didn't remember is that he had a family that he was separated from, and this book shows the trauma that he experienced from masters' false promises and his wrenching loss. This book provides a stark window into the context and institution of slavery, rather than just focusing on his escape, and also covers some of his abolitionist activities afterwards.
One thing that I especially like about this book is its emphasis on Brown's Christian faith. As this book shows, it was deeply important to him, a sustaining force in the midst of his trauma and suffering, and an anchor that he held onto with gratitude throughout his life. I really appreciate this, because many children's books gloss over people's faith commitments in an attempt to be neutral. Only, there really is no neutrality when it comes to beliefs, and erasing people's deepest commitments and underlying worldviews does nothing to honor their lives and legacies. I'm glad that this book repeatedly emphasizes the faith in God that was so central to Henry Brown's life.
This nonfiction picture book tells the story in short, effective poems, and it also covers significant parts of his life before and afterwards. One thing I didn't remember is that he had a family that he was separated from, and this book shows the trauma that he experienced from masters' false promises and his wrenching loss. This book provides a stark window into the context and institution of slavery, rather than just focusing on his escape, and also covers some of his abolitionist activities afterwards.
One thing that I especially like about this book is its emphasis on Brown's Christian faith. As this book shows, it was deeply important to him, a sustaining force in the midst of his trauma and suffering, and an anchor that he held onto with gratitude throughout his life. I really appreciate this, because many children's books gloss over people's faith commitments in an attempt to be neutral. Only, there really is no neutrality when it comes to beliefs, and erasing people's deepest commitments and underlying worldviews does nothing to honor their lives and legacies. I'm glad that this book repeatedly emphasizes the faith in God that was so central to Henry Brown's life.
June 10, 2020
I chose the audiobook for this short read. Written in prose and narrated to the background of beautiful music. The story of a slave who mailed himself to freedom, in a box.
January 10, 2021
My son is a huge fan of the Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series and has been asking me a lot of questions about slavery and the Underground Railroad. I can’t answer some of his questions properly, as a non-American, so I decided it’s time I educate myself.
This is a collection of poems regarding the fate of Henry Brown, a historical figure, one of the slaves who escaped by being mailed in a box, from Virginia to Pennsylvania. It’s a very short and poignant listen, beautifully read by Dion Graham. Really worth less than 1 H of your time.
This is a collection of poems regarding the fate of Henry Brown, a historical figure, one of the slaves who escaped by being mailed in a box, from Virginia to Pennsylvania. It’s a very short and poignant listen, beautifully read by Dion Graham. Really worth less than 1 H of your time.
January 29, 2021
Beautiful and heartbreaking. Though this is a picture book I would recommend it highly in classrooms from about Gr.4-9.
January 31, 2021
Incredible story, but it's been told (and illustrated) better before.
Congratulations to the author for winning a Newbery Honor!
Congratulations to the author for winning a Newbery Honor!
February 7, 2021
In BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom, a picture book biography for older readers, Carole Boston Weatherford offers a heartbreaking personal look at the life of on enslaved man who decided that he had nothing to lose by attempting to mail himself to freedom after everyone he loved - his wife and children - were sold:
"What have I to fear?
My master broke every promise to me.
I lost my beloved wife and our dear children.
All, sold South. Neither my time nor my body is mine.
The breath of life is all I have to lose.
And bondage is suffocating me."
Henry was born to an enslaved mother in 1815 in Virginia and put to work as a young child, along with his seven sisters and brothers. By the time he was 33-years-old, he had been moved from the farm to a tobacco factory in Richmond. There, he met his wife Nancy and soon there were children. But Nancy and the children were sold over and over. Finally, Henry manages to struck a deal to try to get her back - if he would chip in $50. of the $650 asking price for Nancy, he was promised that she would not be sold again. But when Henry couldn't meet demands for more money, his family is taken to be sold.
With nothing left to lose, Henry paid a carpenter to build a box to mail himself to freedom with the help of trusted friends. And difficult and physically painful as the trip north was, he succeeded in arriving at the Philadelphia headquarters of the Anti-Slavery Society and freedom.
Using Henry Brown's 1851 Narrative of the Life of Henry Brown written by Himself as her guide, Boston Weatherford begins Henry's story with a concrete poem called "Geometry" in the shape of the number six, and asking the question: how many sides to a box? The answer, of course, is six sides and from then on, the number six dominates each page.
Each of the 48 poems are written in sixains, six line stanzas, here done in spare free verse poems with each poem replicating the six-sides of a box and with the boxes arranged on the pages like packing crates carelessly stacked one on top of the other and giving the reader a claustrophobic feeling of confinement and lack of freedom, whether referring to Henry's enslavement or to the confines of his box to freedom.
Boston has tight control over her poems and yet, there is a musicality that never gets lost - even in the few 1 line, 6 stanza poems she includes. Each of the poems creates it's own image: clear, affective, detailed, and each connects to the poem that comes before and after it to ultimately paint a complete picture of Henry's life as well as the events of the time, in which he lives, such as the Nat Turner revolt and his subsequent murder. And most importantly, the poems do not shy away from the inhuman brutality of enslavement.
Complimenting and continuing the theme of the six sides of a box are Michele Wood's boldly dynamic mixed media illustrations in a palette of blues, reds, pinks, greens and browns. Illustrations are often set against a background of six-sided quilt patterns.
Back matter includes a Time Line of Henry's life as well as important national events, a Bibliography, A Note from the Illustrator and A Note on Numbers and Language used.
This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was gratefully received from NetGalley
"What have I to fear?
My master broke every promise to me.
I lost my beloved wife and our dear children.
All, sold South. Neither my time nor my body is mine.
The breath of life is all I have to lose.
And bondage is suffocating me."
Henry was born to an enslaved mother in 1815 in Virginia and put to work as a young child, along with his seven sisters and brothers. By the time he was 33-years-old, he had been moved from the farm to a tobacco factory in Richmond. There, he met his wife Nancy and soon there were children. But Nancy and the children were sold over and over. Finally, Henry manages to struck a deal to try to get her back - if he would chip in $50. of the $650 asking price for Nancy, he was promised that she would not be sold again. But when Henry couldn't meet demands for more money, his family is taken to be sold.
With nothing left to lose, Henry paid a carpenter to build a box to mail himself to freedom with the help of trusted friends. And difficult and physically painful as the trip north was, he succeeded in arriving at the Philadelphia headquarters of the Anti-Slavery Society and freedom.
Using Henry Brown's 1851 Narrative of the Life of Henry Brown written by Himself as her guide, Boston Weatherford begins Henry's story with a concrete poem called "Geometry" in the shape of the number six, and asking the question: how many sides to a box? The answer, of course, is six sides and from then on, the number six dominates each page.
Each of the 48 poems are written in sixains, six line stanzas, here done in spare free verse poems with each poem replicating the six-sides of a box and with the boxes arranged on the pages like packing crates carelessly stacked one on top of the other and giving the reader a claustrophobic feeling of confinement and lack of freedom, whether referring to Henry's enslavement or to the confines of his box to freedom.
Boston has tight control over her poems and yet, there is a musicality that never gets lost - even in the few 1 line, 6 stanza poems she includes. Each of the poems creates it's own image: clear, affective, detailed, and each connects to the poem that comes before and after it to ultimately paint a complete picture of Henry's life as well as the events of the time, in which he lives, such as the Nat Turner revolt and his subsequent murder. And most importantly, the poems do not shy away from the inhuman brutality of enslavement.
Complimenting and continuing the theme of the six sides of a box are Michele Wood's boldly dynamic mixed media illustrations in a palette of blues, reds, pinks, greens and browns. Illustrations are often set against a background of six-sided quilt patterns.
Back matter includes a Time Line of Henry's life as well as important national events, a Bibliography, A Note from the Illustrator and A Note on Numbers and Language used.
This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was gratefully received from NetGalley
January 29, 2021
Breathtaking and powerful. WOW. Carole Boston Weatherford is a magnificent author, and this bio did not disappoint. Told in poems of six lines (for the six sides of a box), Weatherford uses words from Henry Brown's own writings to tell his story. She focuses not only on his unbelievable escape, but also on his life as an enslaved person before his escape and his work as an abolitionist after. This is powerful writing--the agony of being separated from one's family, repeatedly; the cruelty of the overseers; the relentless attempts to find a way to freedom and family; the desperation and determination that led him to concoct and successfully carry out his escape plan. It was highly uncomfortable to read about the gruesome treatment, both physically and emotionally, that Brown and others encountered; and to imagine what it was like to be a 200 pound man crammed into a box and moved around for days--she paints a picture that will stay with the reader. SO much to be learned from this account of Brown's life.
January 24, 2021
Written in 6-line stanzas (representing the six sides of a box), each w a heading, about the man who mailed himself to freedom. I thought he was a child when he did this but he was a man. His wife and children had been sold away south, contrary to former promises, and he felt he had nothing to lose. This is a sad story that captures his heartache and the desperation behind his actions. It mentions some other acts of rebellion against slavery (like Nat Turner) as well as what happens to Henry after emerging from his box. Things remain difficult for him. Informative w illustrations to match the emotional intensity of the story. Helpful time line at end. Also includes some of Henry’s own words.
January 29, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, from the way the text is arranged to the colorful illustrations. It really explained the history of the life of a slave, and more specifically, the life of Henry "Box" Brown.
Outstanding!
Outstanding!
April 12, 2021
4.5 stars
June 26, 2021
"I was a slave because my countrymen had made it lawful, in utter contempt of the declared will of heaven, for the strong to lay hold of the weak and to buy and to sell them as marketable goods."
Tells how Henry Brown mailed himself to freedom after his wife and children were sold away. I found the ending a bit depressing.
Tells how Henry Brown mailed himself to freedom after his wife and children were sold away. I found the ending a bit depressing.
June 30, 2020
Reviewed for the Mock Caldecott awards. I think this is a wonderfully descriptive book about coming from the bonds of slavery and persevering towards freedom. Another book about an incredible man, who I had never heard of, who endured much in order to gain his freedom. Certainly inspirational.
March 18, 2021
Nice illustrations but, I still think I prefer Ellen Levine's story "Henry's Freedom Box"
December 11, 2022
“Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom” is the poetry book I read for grades 6-12. I read this book as an ebook checked out from my local library’s digital library. I found this book on the list of Notable Poetry Books from the NCTE link from Dr. Quiroa’s wakelet. This book is also a Newbery Honor Book in 2021. This book tells the story of a man who shipped himself out of slavery and into freedom. The painted illustrations are very powerful and depict strong emotion. For example, page 8 shows a crying mother outside holding her newborn baby. The words are also very powerful to depict the slavery experience in an accurate, real way. For example, page 11 states “we encounter other blacks - some shoeless, coatless, nearly skin and bone in burlap shirts and threadbare pants”. The text follows a unique, engaging format with a bolded all caps word on the top of each section, like “LAWS”, and a poem written under it that relates to the heading. Our textbook describes the difference between comparisons poets make in their writing, like similes, metaphors, and personification on pages 159-160. I noticed many comparisons throughout this book. For example, on page 19, the author states “At work, days drag on like a long winter”. This comparison of work to a season allows the reader to understand the reality of these harsh working conditions. In the classroom, this book could be used in a social science unit on slavery. This book could also be used to support a biography unit. Students could research a historical figure and use this book as a mentor text to write a poem about their historical figure’s life.
February 18, 2021
I listened to this picture book because that is the way I like novels in verse and/or poetry. It was a very good book and I can see why it received a Newberry Honor.
March 11, 2021
I liked the style to relate this story. I still don’t agree that picture books should win Newbery honors.
July 28, 2021
Children’s picture book; story told in verses based on the narrative Henry Brown wrote. Very powerful; learned new facts about his life after escape from slavery.
November 24, 2020
Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom is a picture book filled with poems. While these poems do not rhyme, they follow the typical elements of poetry. This book was written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Michele Wood. It tells the story of Henry "Box" Brown, a former slave who mailed himself to freedom. Readers may be familiar with the book Henry's Freedom Box, which discusses the same event. It is based on a true story.
I discovered this book on NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children's website. It was named as one of the 2021 Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels on the website. The book was published in 2020, but is already becoming very popular. I think the illustrations are absolutely incredible and the word choice really grabs one's attention. Reading about Henry's journey from slavery to freedom is absolutely heartbreaking. I was able to pick up a copy at one of the local libraries. I would recommend reading this book with third - eighth graders, especially when discussing history or poetry.
I discovered this book on NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children's website. It was named as one of the 2021 Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels on the website. The book was published in 2020, but is already becoming very popular. I think the illustrations are absolutely incredible and the word choice really grabs one's attention. Reading about Henry's journey from slavery to freedom is absolutely heartbreaking. I was able to pick up a copy at one of the local libraries. I would recommend reading this book with third - eighth graders, especially when discussing history or poetry.
February 26, 2021
As a senior citizen, I never had heard of this story. It is a fast read with complementary illustrations.
The story of Henry Brown known as Box, is his tale to tell as he saw it: how could I give less than five stars. Worth the read.
The story of Henry Brown known as Box, is his tale to tell as he saw it: how could I give less than five stars. Worth the read.
April 10, 2020
Thanks to Candlewick Press for the copy of this book, out April 14th!
I know that we in these modern days might never really understand the fright, pain, and sorrow of being enslaved, but we can try our best to learn, through reading the author's stories that are available, sometimes using a slave's own words to tell the story. This is what Carole Boston Weatherford has done in this poignant account of Henry 'Box' Brown, a slave who through final and unimaginable circumstances finally thought he had nothing to lose. He'd already lost all that counted, his beautiful wife and children.
There is a hint at the beginning right after the title page that readers should look closely as they read. A concrete poem creates the number six, the number of sides in a box. As Weatherford writes Brown's story by letting him tell it, from early life to the end, nearly all the poems are written with six lines. There is one direct quote from Brown at the beginning, from his own autobiography. Part of it reads "I was a slave because my countrymen had made it lawful. . . for the strong to lay hold of the weak and to buy and to sell them as marketable goods". He was born near Richmond, Virginia in 1815.
The pages mostly alternate between a few poems, then a beautiful painting by Michele Wood. Early life as a boy shows the beginnings of the brutality. In "Work", he shares that "Every few months, I trudge twenty miles/With my brother, carrying grain to the mill." At fifteen, in "Split", his family of father, mother, and seven brothers and sisters are sold and Brown lands in a Richmond tobacco factory. He falls in love and is granted permission to marry Nancy, but faces being split from family again, yet manages to stay with her and their children through a few sales. Those sales also mean varying "Overseers", crueler with every change.
Henry's life shows his deep family love, but there comes an end when there are no more ways to keep his family together and he asks: Lord, what more do I have to lose?" His idea put together both shocks at his courage and amazes with his ability to stay alive as he is moved in his box from place to place on his way to Philadelphia. The rest of the story shows him creating a show to tell his story, helping the abolitionists in the states, but having to flee to England when the Fugitive Slave Act is passed.
Wood's paintings feel like folk art painted during the time, filled with characters full of the emotions of love and sadness. rendered beautifully. With the poetry, the story is one to know, for older readers to be inspired by another slave who never stopped dreaming of freedom.
There is a timeline of Henry's life, a bibliography, and notes from the author and illustrator. Michele Wood shares that she used the palette that includes the colors of the 1800s, blue, green, pink, red, and neutrals. And, she wanted to convey both brutality and gratitude, to "unfold the levels of hope and determination". Carole Boston Weatherford comments on "numbers and language", using "old and new terms interchangeably" to "reconcile a nineteenth-century voice with twenty-first-century thought."
It's a wonderful book that expands the history that some of you may have read in Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson for younger readers.
I know that we in these modern days might never really understand the fright, pain, and sorrow of being enslaved, but we can try our best to learn, through reading the author's stories that are available, sometimes using a slave's own words to tell the story. This is what Carole Boston Weatherford has done in this poignant account of Henry 'Box' Brown, a slave who through final and unimaginable circumstances finally thought he had nothing to lose. He'd already lost all that counted, his beautiful wife and children.
There is a hint at the beginning right after the title page that readers should look closely as they read. A concrete poem creates the number six, the number of sides in a box. As Weatherford writes Brown's story by letting him tell it, from early life to the end, nearly all the poems are written with six lines. There is one direct quote from Brown at the beginning, from his own autobiography. Part of it reads "I was a slave because my countrymen had made it lawful. . . for the strong to lay hold of the weak and to buy and to sell them as marketable goods". He was born near Richmond, Virginia in 1815.
The pages mostly alternate between a few poems, then a beautiful painting by Michele Wood. Early life as a boy shows the beginnings of the brutality. In "Work", he shares that "Every few months, I trudge twenty miles/With my brother, carrying grain to the mill." At fifteen, in "Split", his family of father, mother, and seven brothers and sisters are sold and Brown lands in a Richmond tobacco factory. He falls in love and is granted permission to marry Nancy, but faces being split from family again, yet manages to stay with her and their children through a few sales. Those sales also mean varying "Overseers", crueler with every change.
Henry's life shows his deep family love, but there comes an end when there are no more ways to keep his family together and he asks: Lord, what more do I have to lose?" His idea put together both shocks at his courage and amazes with his ability to stay alive as he is moved in his box from place to place on his way to Philadelphia. The rest of the story shows him creating a show to tell his story, helping the abolitionists in the states, but having to flee to England when the Fugitive Slave Act is passed.
Wood's paintings feel like folk art painted during the time, filled with characters full of the emotions of love and sadness. rendered beautifully. With the poetry, the story is one to know, for older readers to be inspired by another slave who never stopped dreaming of freedom.
There is a timeline of Henry's life, a bibliography, and notes from the author and illustrator. Michele Wood shares that she used the palette that includes the colors of the 1800s, blue, green, pink, red, and neutrals. And, she wanted to convey both brutality and gratitude, to "unfold the levels of hope and determination". Carole Boston Weatherford comments on "numbers and language", using "old and new terms interchangeably" to "reconcile a nineteenth-century voice with twenty-first-century thought."
It's a wonderful book that expands the history that some of you may have read in Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson for younger readers.
June 17, 2021
This book tells the story of Henry Brown, who, in 1849 at age 34, escaped from slavery by having himself mailed from Richmond, Virginia to Philadelphia in a box 3 feet long by 2 feet 8 inches deep by 2 feet wide, labeled as “dry goods.” (Henry enlisted the help of his choir-member friend, a free black who knew a white sympathizer. The sympathizer in turn contacted a white abolitionist of the Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society for help on the other end.) Henry traveled 350 miles in the box, in a nail-biting trip that took twenty-seven hours. Henry “Box” Brown became one of the most famous escaped slaves, and his story remains incredibly inspirational.
Weatherford has chosen to tell his story in poetic verse as if written in Brown’s own voice. All but one of the poems has six lines making a "sexain," reflecting the cubic structure of a box.
Each sexain has a title that both summarizes the poem and puts the slave experience in sharp relief. Henry experiences "Brutality," “Fear,” and “Hell,” but also “Friends,” “Church,” and “Courage.” The final sexain makes for a powerful and apt coda to this story in particular, and to the American story in general:
AXIOM
Freedom
Is
Fragile.
Handle
With
Care.
Colorful mixed-media collages by artist Michele Wood evoke quilts that also reflect the box theme. In an Illustrator’s Note, Wood explains that she chose a palette based on colors predominant in the 1800s.
A timeline, notes, and bibliography are included in this book recommended for ages 7 and up.
Evaluation: The author and the illustrator each have won many awards. This particular book won the 2021 Newberry Honor. Besides the amazing story of Henry, both the writing style and artwork give teachers opportunities to expand on the lessons of the book.
In fact, because of the rich educational possibilities of this book, it is part of the Black Creators Series. Presented by Candlewick Press and the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University and hosted by Sonja Cherry-Paul, the Black Creators Series is an educator-focused virtual speakers’ series that highlights the work of Black authors and illustrators. You can watch each new episode on the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Facebook page here.
Weatherford has chosen to tell his story in poetic verse as if written in Brown’s own voice. All but one of the poems has six lines making a "sexain," reflecting the cubic structure of a box.
Each sexain has a title that both summarizes the poem and puts the slave experience in sharp relief. Henry experiences "Brutality," “Fear,” and “Hell,” but also “Friends,” “Church,” and “Courage.” The final sexain makes for a powerful and apt coda to this story in particular, and to the American story in general:
AXIOM
Freedom
Is
Fragile.
Handle
With
Care.
Colorful mixed-media collages by artist Michele Wood evoke quilts that also reflect the box theme. In an Illustrator’s Note, Wood explains that she chose a palette based on colors predominant in the 1800s.
A timeline, notes, and bibliography are included in this book recommended for ages 7 and up.
Evaluation: The author and the illustrator each have won many awards. This particular book won the 2021 Newberry Honor. Besides the amazing story of Henry, both the writing style and artwork give teachers opportunities to expand on the lessons of the book.
In fact, because of the rich educational possibilities of this book, it is part of the Black Creators Series. Presented by Candlewick Press and the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University and hosted by Sonja Cherry-Paul, the Black Creators Series is an educator-focused virtual speakers’ series that highlights the work of Black authors and illustrators. You can watch each new episode on the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Facebook page here.
December 5, 2021
Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom was written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Michele Wood. It was a 2021 Newbery Honor book and was on the list for Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels in 2021. It tells the story of Henry Brown and how he came to free himself from slavery. The poems are written in a narrative structure, as you learn about Henry’s life. The book starts with his childhood, “like my seven sisters and brothers, I am put to work”. The poems continue with his adulthood, where you learn about his wife and children being sold. Once this happens, Henry decides that he has nothing left to lose and will make the courageous choice to ship himself out of slavery.
The watercolor illustrations throughout the book add a lot to the story. Wood’s colors, pink, red, blue, green, and neutrals, are honest to that time in history. The illustrations help the readers feel hope, determination, and eventual gratefulness. Each poem is written in 6 lines, each representing the different sizes of a box. The first poem, Geometry, is written with 6 letters, one on each line, before swirling across the page to form the number 6. The text also includes an author’s note, illustrator’s note, timeline of Henry’s life, and a bibliography. These are valuable additions to the story, as the author’s note describes how Weatherford referred to Brown’s narratives to capture his voice.
I was familiar with another telling of Henry Brown’s story, Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad. While that book is recommended for younger readers and I have it in my second grade classroom library, I think this poetry book is more suitable for older students. In some of the poems in the story, there would need to be a discussion with students to help them understand what is happening. For example, there are poems that mention the lynching of black people. Therefore, I think this book should not be read to students without a discussion and should only be read with students who are around 6th grade and older. This book could also be used in a poetry unit as a mentor text for narrative poems, as long as the important discussions are held about the content of the poems.
The watercolor illustrations throughout the book add a lot to the story. Wood’s colors, pink, red, blue, green, and neutrals, are honest to that time in history. The illustrations help the readers feel hope, determination, and eventual gratefulness. Each poem is written in 6 lines, each representing the different sizes of a box. The first poem, Geometry, is written with 6 letters, one on each line, before swirling across the page to form the number 6. The text also includes an author’s note, illustrator’s note, timeline of Henry’s life, and a bibliography. These are valuable additions to the story, as the author’s note describes how Weatherford referred to Brown’s narratives to capture his voice.
I was familiar with another telling of Henry Brown’s story, Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad. While that book is recommended for younger readers and I have it in my second grade classroom library, I think this poetry book is more suitable for older students. In some of the poems in the story, there would need to be a discussion with students to help them understand what is happening. For example, there are poems that mention the lynching of black people. Therefore, I think this book should not be read to students without a discussion and should only be read with students who are around 6th grade and older. This book could also be used in a poetry unit as a mentor text for narrative poems, as long as the important discussions are held about the content of the poems.
September 7, 2020
Wow. This one took my breath away.
By opening with a quote from Brown's Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown, Written by Himself (1851), Weatherford lets Henry Brown speak directly to the reader about the shame of slavery. She moves on, sharing details about his life from his childhood of enslavement to his adulthood in freedom. Weatherford has chosen to add a little punch to Brown's story by telling it in the form of fifty graceful sixain/six-lined poetry (and one letter). (Six because that is how many sides there are in a box.) With great eloquence, she focuses on Brown's emotions and feelings when describing the pain of being separated from family, fear of overseers, hopelessness of never being free, happiness with family and loved ones, and the depths of faith that carried him through life and helped him to move on after he obtained his freedom. A lump swells in the throat when reading the final poem, "Axiom".
Michele Wood's mixed media artwork is intense. Deep, saturated colors of the time this story takes place appear on each full page painting. Also ever-present are patterns and designs often found in quilts and other symbolism is tucked in here and there. With each turn of the page, readers will feel the spirituality that Wood has injected into the art, based on the poems it accompanies. How the art and text work together would make intriguing discussion for middle graders studying enslavement in U.S. History.
Backmatter includes a timeline of Brown's life, with relevant events that occurred during that time, a bibiography of resources for middle graders, and notes from the illustrator and the author.
A fresh spin on the story of Henry Box Brown by a Caldecott Honor & CSK Honor Winner and a CSK Illustrator Award Winner, appropriate for a more mature audience than the picture books by Ellen Levin/Kadir Nelson, Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad (Scholastic, 2007) or by Sally M. Walker/Sean Qualls, Freedom Song: The Story of Henry "Box" Brown (HarperCollins, 2012).
Highly Recommended for grades 5-9.
By opening with a quote from Brown's Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown, Written by Himself (1851), Weatherford lets Henry Brown speak directly to the reader about the shame of slavery. She moves on, sharing details about his life from his childhood of enslavement to his adulthood in freedom. Weatherford has chosen to add a little punch to Brown's story by telling it in the form of fifty graceful sixain/six-lined poetry (and one letter). (Six because that is how many sides there are in a box.) With great eloquence, she focuses on Brown's emotions and feelings when describing the pain of being separated from family, fear of overseers, hopelessness of never being free, happiness with family and loved ones, and the depths of faith that carried him through life and helped him to move on after he obtained his freedom. A lump swells in the throat when reading the final poem, "Axiom".
Michele Wood's mixed media artwork is intense. Deep, saturated colors of the time this story takes place appear on each full page painting. Also ever-present are patterns and designs often found in quilts and other symbolism is tucked in here and there. With each turn of the page, readers will feel the spirituality that Wood has injected into the art, based on the poems it accompanies. How the art and text work together would make intriguing discussion for middle graders studying enslavement in U.S. History.
Backmatter includes a timeline of Brown's life, with relevant events that occurred during that time, a bibiography of resources for middle graders, and notes from the illustrator and the author.
A fresh spin on the story of Henry Box Brown by a Caldecott Honor & CSK Honor Winner and a CSK Illustrator Award Winner, appropriate for a more mature audience than the picture books by Ellen Levin/Kadir Nelson, Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad (Scholastic, 2007) or by Sally M. Walker/Sean Qualls, Freedom Song: The Story of Henry "Box" Brown (HarperCollins, 2012).
Highly Recommended for grades 5-9.
August 25, 2020
Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom is a biographical children's picture book written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Michele Wood. It centers on Henry Brown, after losing his family to treacherous slaveholders, he risks his life in an unusual bid for freedom.
Henry Box Brown was a 19th-century Virginia slave who escaped to freedom at the age of 33 by arranging to have himself mailed in a wooden crate in 1849 to abolitionists in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Weatherford's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, informative, and lyrical. Weatherford's account, written in Brown's voice, accounts for his life and times in measured lines of poetry, with one to four poems per spread, with most having six lines – like the sides of the box. Backmatter includes a timeline, notes, and bibliography. Elaborate mixed-media collages by Wood employ a box motif, featuring Escher-like cubes alongside folded paper and painted quilt squares.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Told in Brown's voice, all but one of the fifty plus poems contain six lines. Weatherford bases often-lyrical free verse on Brown's own narrative. Detailed stanzas, each beginning with a single descriptive term, touch on the brutality of slavery; the torment that awaited resisters; Brown’s deep anguish over losing his first wife and children, sold and forever separated from him; and his subsequent life as a free man.
All in all, Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom is a fascinating story about the lengths one would go through for freedom – even posting oneself.
Henry Box Brown was a 19th-century Virginia slave who escaped to freedom at the age of 33 by arranging to have himself mailed in a wooden crate in 1849 to abolitionists in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Weatherford's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, informative, and lyrical. Weatherford's account, written in Brown's voice, accounts for his life and times in measured lines of poetry, with one to four poems per spread, with most having six lines – like the sides of the box. Backmatter includes a timeline, notes, and bibliography. Elaborate mixed-media collages by Wood employ a box motif, featuring Escher-like cubes alongside folded paper and painted quilt squares.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Told in Brown's voice, all but one of the fifty plus poems contain six lines. Weatherford bases often-lyrical free verse on Brown's own narrative. Detailed stanzas, each beginning with a single descriptive term, touch on the brutality of slavery; the torment that awaited resisters; Brown’s deep anguish over losing his first wife and children, sold and forever separated from him; and his subsequent life as a free man.
All in all, Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom is a fascinating story about the lengths one would go through for freedom – even posting oneself.
March 22, 2021
Box tells the story of Henry Brown, a Virginia slave born in 1815, who put himself in a box and was shipped to freedom in Philadelphia. His life is told in a series of six stanza poems by author Carole Boston Weatherford and richly illustrated by Michele Wood. Their collaboration is a beautiful picture book.
Brown’s story was new to me. After losing his beloved wife and children when they were sold off and sent further south, he executed a difficult and incredulous feat by climbing in a wooden box and having an acquaintance ship him express. He felt he had little to lose. Few handlers paid attention to the “this side up” sign. When he was upside down for a long time he passed out. It took twenty-seven hours to travel the 350 miles. After he reached freedom he began telling his story at anti-slavery meetings.
While Box is a very impressive and creative book, I wonder about the intended audience, if there is one. The content is too mature for young children and older children usually consider picture books beneath them. My public library shelves it with the oversize juvenile biographies. Fifth or sixth grade teachers might use it as part of a unit on slavery, and read it to their class. The text needs some explanation, such as how Box earns money for himself. And a teacher might want to point out how the cubes in the illustrations mimic a box, thus reinforcing the text.
There is a time line at the end about Henry Brown and major laws and events concerning slavery.
Box was awarded a Newbury Honor Award in 2021 for its "distinguished contribution to American literature for children."
Brown’s story was new to me. After losing his beloved wife and children when they were sold off and sent further south, he executed a difficult and incredulous feat by climbing in a wooden box and having an acquaintance ship him express. He felt he had little to lose. Few handlers paid attention to the “this side up” sign. When he was upside down for a long time he passed out. It took twenty-seven hours to travel the 350 miles. After he reached freedom he began telling his story at anti-slavery meetings.
While Box is a very impressive and creative book, I wonder about the intended audience, if there is one. The content is too mature for young children and older children usually consider picture books beneath them. My public library shelves it with the oversize juvenile biographies. Fifth or sixth grade teachers might use it as part of a unit on slavery, and read it to their class. The text needs some explanation, such as how Box earns money for himself. And a teacher might want to point out how the cubes in the illustrations mimic a box, thus reinforcing the text.
There is a time line at the end about Henry Brown and major laws and events concerning slavery.
Box was awarded a Newbury Honor Award in 2021 for its "distinguished contribution to American literature for children."
May 26, 2020
Told in brief poems, this nonfiction picture book explores a daring escape to freedom in the face of loss and brutality. Born in 1815, Henry Brown was born into slavery in Richmond, Virginia. He worked from the time he was a small child, passed from one generation of his owners to the next. Despite a series of promises by various owners, Henry Brown’s family is sold away from him multiple times, even when he paid money to keep them near. Hearing of the Underground Railroad, he decides to make a dangerous escape to the North, mailing himself in a wooden box.
Weatherford builds box after box in her poetry where each six-lined poem represents the number of sides of Henry Brown’s box. Each of the poems also shows the structure of oppression and the trap that slavery sets for those caught within it. Still, at times her voice soars into hope, still within the limits she has created but unable to be bound.
Wood’s illustrations are incredibly powerful, a great match to the words. She has used a color palette representative of the time period, creating her art in mixed media. The images are deeply textured, moving through a variety of emotions as the book continues. The portraiture is intensely done, each character looking right at the reader as if pleading to be seen.
Two Coretta Scott King winners collaborate to create this powerful book about courage, resilience and freedom. Appropriate for ages 7-10.
Weatherford builds box after box in her poetry where each six-lined poem represents the number of sides of Henry Brown’s box. Each of the poems also shows the structure of oppression and the trap that slavery sets for those caught within it. Still, at times her voice soars into hope, still within the limits she has created but unable to be bound.
Wood’s illustrations are incredibly powerful, a great match to the words. She has used a color palette representative of the time period, creating her art in mixed media. The images are deeply textured, moving through a variety of emotions as the book continues. The portraiture is intensely done, each character looking right at the reader as if pleading to be seen.
Two Coretta Scott King winners collaborate to create this powerful book about courage, resilience and freedom. Appropriate for ages 7-10.
February 15, 2021
n a moving, lyrical tale about the cost and fragility of freedom, a New York Times best-selling author and an acclaimed artist follow the life of a man who courageously shipped himself out of slavery.
What have I to fear?
My master broke every promise to me.
I lost my beloved wife and our dear children.
All, sold South. Neither my time nor my body is mine.
The breath of life is all I have to lose.
And bondage is suffocating me.
Henry Brown wrote that long before he came to be known as Box, he "entered the world a slave." He was put to work as a child and passed down from one generation to the next -- as property. When he was an adult, his wife and children were sold away from him out of spite. Henry Brown watched as his family left bound in chains, headed to the deeper South. What more could be taken from him? But then hope -- and help -- came in the form of the Underground Railroad. Escape!
In stanzas of six lines each, each line representing one side of a box, celebrated poet Carole Boston Weatherford powerfully narrates Henry Brown's story of how he came to send himself in a box from slavery to freedom. Strikingly illustrated in rich hues and patterns by artist Michele Wood, Box is augmented with historical records and an introductory excerpt from Henry's own writing as well as a time line, notes from the author and illustrator, and a bibliography.
What have I to fear?
My master broke every promise to me.
I lost my beloved wife and our dear children.
All, sold South. Neither my time nor my body is mine.
The breath of life is all I have to lose.
And bondage is suffocating me.
Henry Brown wrote that long before he came to be known as Box, he "entered the world a slave." He was put to work as a child and passed down from one generation to the next -- as property. When he was an adult, his wife and children were sold away from him out of spite. Henry Brown watched as his family left bound in chains, headed to the deeper South. What more could be taken from him? But then hope -- and help -- came in the form of the Underground Railroad. Escape!
In stanzas of six lines each, each line representing one side of a box, celebrated poet Carole Boston Weatherford powerfully narrates Henry Brown's story of how he came to send himself in a box from slavery to freedom. Strikingly illustrated in rich hues and patterns by artist Michele Wood, Box is augmented with historical records and an introductory excerpt from Henry's own writing as well as a time line, notes from the author and illustrator, and a bibliography.
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