**Be sure to check out the Author’s Note on the last page of this book**
Henry’s Freedom Box is the story of a courageous man named Henry “Box” Brown who escapes
slavery via the Underground Railroad. Henry and his family are slaves in Virginia during the mid
1800’s. When Henry’s wife and children are torn away from him, Henry develops a shrewd and daring
plan to escape his life of slavery. Henry mails himself in a large wooden crate to Philadelphia where
slaves are free people. His twenty-seven hour, 350 mile journey to freedom is one of danger and
suspense. The end of the story finds Henry safe and free but with the legacy of an unforgettable past.
The illustrations in Henry’s Freedom Box are graceful and poignant giving the reader insight and
allowing the reader to engage the events of the story.
Comprehension Connection: Building Background Knowledge
Comparing and Contrasting Texts
Content Objective I can use a Double-Bubble to tell how two stories are similar.
I can use a Double-Bubble to tell how two stories are different.
I can compare texts and tell a common theme (controlling idea).
Language Objective: Sentence Stem: One way _____ and ____ are similar is _______.
One way _____ and ____ are different is _______.
A Double-Bubble Map gives structure to the thinking process of compare/contrast. After reading
Henry’s Freedom Box and another Underground Railroad story (see below) compare and contrast
the stories using a Double-Bubble Map. Consider comparing the story elements (characters,
setting and events) ideas (slavery, the Underground Railroad, escape) the theme, genre and
author’s purpose.
Texts to use for comparison:
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson
Follow the Drinking Gourd
by Jeanette Winter
Under the quilt of Night by Deborah Hopkinson
Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom by Tim Tingle
The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom
by Bettye Stroud
Vocabulary Connection: “Goldilocks” Vocabulary
(What Really Matters in Vocabulary, P. Cunningham)
Step 1: Identify 3 “Goldilocks” words from the text you are going to read aloud. (Narrow it down to three by considering
the usefulness and appeal of the words to your students and how well the words are defined by the context and
pictures.)
Step 2: Read the text for the first time, making no reference to the three chosen words. (The first time you read aloud
is for enjoyment.)
Step 3: Show the three words to students. (Help students pronounce the words but do not yet share the meanings.
The point is for students to practice discovering the word meaning during the next reading of the text.)
Step 4: Reread the text and have the children stop you when you read each of the words. (Place the words on cards
where students can clearly see them. When they signal you, stop reading and use the context, pictures and word parts
to explain each word.)
Step 5: Help the children connect their own experience to the three words. (After reading, focus again on each of the
three words and ask a question that helps students connect their own experiences to the text.)
Step 6: Reread and have the children retell, using the three words in their retell.
Step 7: Display the title, a cover picture and the three words somewhere in the room. (Tell students that they are
going to be on the lookout for these three words whenever they read.)
Please let me know if you would like a complete copy of this strategy from the book.
Cannon Elementary School
February 2011 Book of the Month
Henry’s Freedom Box
A True Story from the Underground Railroad
By Ellen Levine
