There was no laughter, but the kids were glad that Henry made it to Philly. It does have a good ending, but it left them feeling funny too. Both thought it was a good story, but a hard story. I admit, it is hard to comprehend such a brutal time among people. The nephew couldn’t understand why someone had to mail themselves anywhere. She didn’t understand how that was possible. The niece was heartbroken that their family was broken up. For 27 hours he endures being in a box upside down. Henry can’t take it so, he makes a big box and with the help of a slave sympathizer he mails himself to Philadelphia. I can’t imagine losing your family like that. One day, the owner of his wife up and sells all the kids and the wife and Henry is heartbroken. The woman is owned by another man and they are able to live together, which I didn’t know they let you do.

Henry grows up and eventually gets married. This is about Henry who lived as a slave to a good man, but the owner died and left him to his son. It might not have a ton of depth and it spares some of the reality of how brutal or hard things were, but I learn so much from reading these to the kids.

It’s amazing to me how much you can learn from children’s books. She is on the faculty of Vermont College's MFA program in writing for Children and Young Adults.Įllen Levine divides her time between New York City and Salem, New York. A former staff attorney with a public interest law group, Levine now devotes her time to writing, lecturing, and teaching. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She has worked in film and television, taught adults and immigrant teenagers in special education and ESL programs, and served a law clerkship with Chief Judge Joseph Lord, U.S. She has a Master's degree in political science from the University of Chicago and a Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law. degree in Politics from Brandeis University, graduating Magna cum laude. I enjoy learning new things and meeting new people, even if they lived 200 years ago.'Įllen Levine was born in New York City. 'Writing nonfiction lets me in behind the scenes of the story. Although she enjoys writing both fiction and nonfiction, most of Ellen's books for young readers have been nonfiction. Ellen Levine's books have won many awards and honors, including the Jane Addams Peace Award.

Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine