Levine, Ellen (2007). Henry's Freedom Box. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Henry is a slave boy in this story. He is owned by a white man and would love nothing more than to be FREE. As a boy, he was separated from his mother and had to go live elsewhere. He falls in love with another slave and they get married with the permission of their separate owners. They soon have several children who are also "owned" by their mother's master. One day, Henry's world is turned upside down when his wife and children are sold at the slave market. An abolitionist white doctor helps Henry who wants to mail himself to a free state. He is put inside a box (literally) and mailed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he could be free. Enduring being packed and squished inside a wooden crate he finally makes it to his destination. He was now FREE!!
The illustrator, Kadir Nelson, did an amazing job with the illustrations. They are extremely powerful and left me in tears. Reading about a man being packed into a crate is one thing... Seeing a picture of it is quite another! Wow!! Character's faces gave us every emotion we needed to feel.
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