Summary
Box: Henry Mails Himself to Freedom is a tale of an adult who so desperately wants to be free from slavery and reunited with his family. From a young age, Henry was put to work and sold as property. In an attempt to reach freedom, he mails himself in a sealed box in hopes that he will be free. While traveling through many states in two days, Henry covers significant parts of his life before and afterwards.
Theme(s):
Overcoming adversity, society, prejudice/racism
Personal Response
Author Carole Boston Weatherford utilized a poetic stance to explain Henry’s life as a slave. The illustrations and words send chills down the reader’s spine while reading about what Henry endured throughout his life. I particularly enjoyed how Weatherford used a series of poems that were six lines long throughout the book which allowed Henry’s voice and emotion to come alive throughout the book.
Teaching Ideas
An activity that could be tied into this book after reading it as a class would be to create a timeline of Henry’s life. The teacher would divide the class up into groups and have each group research a specific age; for example early years, teen years, twenties, thirties. The teacher would demonstrate how to conduct research, then have the students conduct research and find key events in each age group and present it to the class.
Recommended Reading Level
Grade 04, Grade 05, Grade 06
