This true story tells about Henry, a slave, who escapes on the Underground Railroad to Pennsylvania. The story is a good account of what happened to so many slavery prior to the Civil War. Henry loses all of the people he loves as they are sold off to new owners. The illustrations are truly wonderful and the book is certainly worthy of its honor. ( )

A Caldecott Honor book. A wonderful, inspiring story of what one man did to obtain freedom.

A fictionalized account of how in 1849 a Virginia slave, Henry 'Box' Brown, escapes to freedom by shipping himself in a wooden crate from Richmond to Philadelphia.

Henry was a slave. He was sold away from his family when he was just a young boy. After having his own family, he was forced to watch his wife and children get taken away at a slave market. He dreamed of being free and so with the help of a few others, Henry decided he would put himself in a crate and ship himself to a place where there were no slaves. This courageous idea takes him on quite a journey.

This is a touching book for children. It tells the story of Henry Brown, a slave who decides to mail himself to freedom after his family is sold away into slavery.

Henry's story is heart-breaking, and heart-warming. He's sold into slavery and separated from his mother, then he falls in love and starts a family, only to have it taken away from him. It's interesting and smart to include Henry's early life, because it shows the range of hardships that a slave faced, and it also connects with children who are the same age as Henry when he is sold away from his mother. Despite Henry's tribulations, he still has hope to live a better life than the one he already had as a slave. He triumphs over adversity by the end of the story. When he finally arrives in Philadelphia, it feels like a celebration!

The illustrations by Kadir Nelson are fantastic. They convey so much emotion. The cover image is powerful in its simplicity. When Henry's wife, Nancy, warns him that having a family under slavery is a precarious position to be in, there is a close-up illustration of Henry's pensive face. I also loved the illustrations of Henry inside the box. They added a bit of humor to this exceptional story.

This book is a great introduction of the history of slavery for children. A must-read! ( )