Like the title says, this book is based on the true story of Henry.  Beginning when he’s just a boy, Henry doesn’t know how old he is.  Slaves aren’t supposed to have birthdays.  When his master falls ill he hopes that he will be set free, like some other slaves.  But he’s instead given to the master’s son and torn from his family.  Henry grows older, meets Nancy, and they marry and have three beautiful children.  While Henry is working at the factory, a friend comes to tell him that his wife and children were just sold at the slave market.  He arrives just in time to see them being carted away.

Knowing that he will never see his family again, he decides to take desperate measures to secure his freedom.  He literally nails himself into a crate and mails himself to Philadelphia.  For 27 hours, he is crammed into this little box as he is thrown around, put upside down, and travels more then 350 miles.  And amazingly, it worked!  As the author’s note states, “Henry ‘Box’ Brown became one of the most famous runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad – the man who mailed himself to freedom.”

Kadir Nelson’s illustrations are simply stunning.  What more is there to say than to know that you’ve got your hands on something special?  Henry’s Freedom Box is a 2008 Caldecott Honor Book.  Amazing story.  Amazing book.

Kadir Nelson’s website.

Henry’s Freedom Box:  A True Story from the Underground Railroad is part of my themed reading for the month of February which celebrates Black History Month.  Join me this month as I explore books that celebrate the history of African-Americans.  Also reviewed this month Moses:  When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russel Freedman, Letters from a Slave Girl, The Story of Harriet Jacobs by Mary E. Lyons, The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox,  Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grime, The Well by Mildred D. Taylor,  Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman, Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and  Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson.  Other reviews of interest:  A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg, Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

Harriet Tubman relied deeply upon her faith in God.  Her journey back and forth is very much a spiritual journey, as the voice of God guides her.  Told in a lyrical text that incorporates the voice of both Harriet and God, the story flows well.  I also loved the use of font.   Enhancing the reading experience is a comprehensive author’s note that details the life of Harriet Tubman as well as a forward putting the text into context.

The illustrations by Kadir Nelson are dynamic, beautiful, and striking.  Well deserved of the Caldecott.  A picture book that should be read to all especially to introduce the story of one of the Underground Railroad’s most inspiring figures.

Visit Carole Boston Weatherford website and Kadir Nelson’s website.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom is part of my themed reading for the month of February which celebrates Black History Month.  Join me this month as I explore books that celebrate the history of African-Americans.  Also reviewed this month: Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russel Freedman, Letters from a Slave Girl, The Story of Harriet Jacobs by Mary E. Lyons, The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox,  Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grime, The Well by Mildred D. Taylor,  Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman, Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and  Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson.  Other reviews of interest:  A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg, Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman.

The publisher synopsis:

Marian Anderson loved to sing.  Her deep, rich voice thrilled audiences the world over.  By the mid-1930s she was a famed vocalist who had been applauded by European royalty, welcomed at the White House, and adored by appreciative listeners in concert halls across the United States.  But because of her race, she was denied the right to sing at Constitution Hall, Washington’s largest and finest auditorium.

Though Marian Anderson was not a crusader or a spokesperson by nature, her response to this injustice catapulted her into the center of the civil rights movement of the time.  She came to stand for all black artists   and for all Americans of color – when, with the help of prominent figures such as Eleanor Roosevelt, she gave a landmark performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that broke racial barriers and hastened the end of segregation in the arts.

Drawing on Anderson’s own writings and other first-person accounts, Newbery medalist Russell Freedman shows readers a singer pursuing her art in the context of the social and political climate of the day.  Profusely illustrated with contemporary photographs, here is an inspiring account of the life of a talented, determined artist who left her mark on musical and social history.

Now, I know ZERO about music.  When I was in elementary school my dance teacher told me to lip synch the words to a song we were singing.  My confidence was thrown out the window at that very moment.  I seriously CAN NOT carry a tune.  I don’t understand notes, octaves, etc, etc, etc (because those are the only two words I can even think of!).  I really do sound awful.  I like to listen to music, I’m a fan, but because I don’t go out of my way to learn about music, I had never even heard of Marian Anderson before.  Reading The Voice That Challenged a Nation was learning something completely new to me.

And I learned a lot!  Although, I must admit, Marian Anderson is a contralto and I went the whole book wishing there was an explanation of what a contralto actually is.  According to Wikipedia, a contralto is “a type of classical female singing voice with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a mezzo-soprano.”  Still no clue what that’s supposed to mean but it goes on to say “the term is used to refer to the deepest female singing voice.”  Okay, that I can latch onto.

Marian Anderson was beautiful!  And she had a beautiful voice.  Her community was especially supportive in raising funds for her education and her career.  I was particularly struck with the fact that she literally traveled all over the world to many foreign countries and sung in prestigious halls and for heads of countries.  But it was in her own country, the United States, that she was denied the privileges that should have been afforded her.  Barred from music halls, singing in front of segregated audiences, and traveling through the deep south catapulted Anderson to a postion that she never thought she would be in and that was to make a difference in the civil rights movement.  By her example and actions, she led the way for all the artists who would come behind her.

The Voice That Challenged a Nation was well laid out,  had great photos, and great stories.   I enjoyed learning Marian’s story and was grateful that I took the time out to do so.  I only wished that the pages of the book would sing to me!  Highly recommended.

Marian Anderson singing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in response to being denied entrance at Constitution Hall:

A book well worth checking out.

Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights is part of my themed reading for the month of February which celebrates Black History Month.  Join me this month as I explore books that celebrate the history of African-Americans.  Also reviewed this month: Letters from a Slave Girl, The Story of Harriet Jacobs by Mary E. Lyons, The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox,  Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grime, The Well by Mildred D. Taylor,  Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman, Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and  Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson.  Other reviews of interest:  A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg, Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis.

Links of interest:  Visit the Marian Anderson Historical Society.  More book blogger reviews.
Genre:  Juvenile Non-fiction, approx age 9-12 (although this adult loved it).
Publisher:  Clarion Books.  May 25, 2004.
Hardcover, 128 pages.  ISBN:  0618159762
The Voice that Challenged a Nation is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

It isn’t long before Dr. Norcom begins making sexual advances on Harriet, even to the point of building Harriet her own cottage to be out of the house from his wife.  Harriet begs to be married to a free black man, but Dr. Norcom becomes enraged.  Thinking that if she becomes pregnant with a white man’s baby, Dr. Norcom will sell her, she does just that not once but twice.  But to no avail.  When she realizes that he plans to sell her two children to a plantation owner, she knows that she must take matters into her own hands.

She does manage to trick Dr. Norcom to selling the children who are then purchased by their white father, who athough is a kind man, doesn’t set them free.  Harriet then sets her eyes on her own escape to freedom.  Harriet runs away and leads Dr. Norcom to believe that she has fled North, but in all actuality she is hiding in a crawlspace at her grandmothers house.  She lives in this tiny crawlspace for SEVEN years watching her children, unbeknown to them, through a peep hole in the wood.  She eventually does escape to the north and is able to be reunited with her children and become a force in the abolition movement and writing her autobiography.

The notice put out by her master, when she escaped:

Letters from a Slave Girl is written in a journal format, as letters that Harriet writes knowing full well that they’ll never be sent (she writes to some who have already passed on).  I particularly enjoyed this format of storytelling.

Mary E. Lyons, the author, states in the author’s note:

Harriet Ann Jacobs did not actually write Letters from a Slave Girl.  But a biographer is also a storyteller, and after reading Harriet’s correspondence, a letter format seemed the natural way to tell her story.

Letters also suit Harriet’s biography because learning to read and write was a rare accomplishment for an enslaved child.  Many slaveholders were fearful that literate slaves would be more difficult to control.

. . .  To retell portions of Harriet’s story, particularly her childhood years, I reconstructed details thout would bring her to life: social occasions, meals eaten, words spoken.  (Even Harriet, when recalling events from years long past, had to make up dialogue for her autobiography.)  But the major events in Letters from a Slave Girl are true.  Every person and place mentioned in the letters really existed.  Even the weather conditions are accurate.

Letters from a Slave Girl is a great book to introduce younger readers to Harriet Jacobs and her amazing story.  You can learn more about Harriet Jacobs at PBS, or of course, read Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. I think Mary E. Lyons did an excellent job conveying Harriet’s voice and story.

Letters from a Slave Girl is part of my themed reading for the month of February which celebrates Black History Month.  Join me this month as I explore books that celebrate the history of African-Americans.  Also reviewed this month: The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox,  Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grime, The Well by Mildred D. Taylor,  Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman, Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and  Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson.  Other reviews of interest:  A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg, Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis.

Six-year-old Ruby Bridges is the first black child to attend an all white elementary school during the civil rights movement and of desegregation in New Orleans in 1960.   The Story of Ruby Bridges recounts Ruby’s move from Mississippi to New Orleans at a very young age, their hard working family, and their faith in God.  It explains that at the time black children and white children went to separate schools which was against the law.  A judge ordered the schools to be desegregated and Ruby was one of the first chosen to make this happen.

Angry crowds gathered for her first day of school, pulled their own children out of class, and continued to do so for months.  Ruby was all alone in school.  Her teacher Miss Hurley recounts that Ruby was a wonderful child, eager to learn, but also lonely.  The book ends with Ruby uttering a prayer among the crowd which was:

Please, God, try to forgive those people.
Because even if they say those bad things,
They don’t know what they’re doing.
So You could forgive them,
Just like You did those folks a long time ago
When they said terrible things about You.

There seemed to be a few discrepancies between Through My Eyes, written by Ruby Bridges herself and this one, The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles (who was her psychiatrist during this time).  In Through My Eyes, it came across as Ruby being much more ignorant of what was happening.  She didn’t know why she was going to a new school, she didn’t know why the crowds were there at all.  She also drove to school with the federal marshals each day.  In this book, she is shown as walking to school.  I know, I know.  It doesn’t much matter.

I liked the illustrations by George Ford with the exception of his rendering of Miss Hurley, Ruby’s teacher.  She looks to be African-American but she’s really white.  It’s very unclear in the book which she’s supposed to be and I think it’s important to note that she was a white teacher who cared very deeply for the education of Ruby, especially at a time when many others were unwilling to take the job.

Overall, this book was very informative and is an excellent resource for younger readers.  Since writing my review of Through My Eyes I have rented the Disney movie Ruby Bridges and enjoyed it very much.  I would recommend pairing both Through My Eyes and The Story of Ruby Bridges with the movie.

Ruby Bridge’s website.

The Story of Ruby Bridges is part of my themed reading for the month of February which celebrates Black History Month.  Join me this month as I explore books that celebrate the history of African-Americans.  Also reviewed this month: The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox,  Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grime, The Well by Mildred D. Taylor,  Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman, Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and  Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson.  Other reviews of interest:  A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg, Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis.

The Slave Dancer is not an easy read.  It’s very slow to start and I admit that I would often set the book down because it really dragged.  The story certainly picked up after arriving in Africa and acquiring its cargo.  By cargo, I mean men, women and children taken from their homeland and forced into conditions that no human should ever have to experience.  There are some difficult scenes to read about.  I heard somebody describe it as a “casual cruelty.”   That’s exactly what makes this book such an emotional read.  There is a scene where they just start throwing people overboard.  It’s just awful.

Jessie has a lot of guilt about the role that he plays in the slave trade.  He learns about prejudice, racism, trust, and eventually friendship.  The Slave Dancer is well worth reading and an excellent insight into the slave industry.

The Slave Dancer is part of my themed reading for the month of February which celebrates Black History Month.  Join me this month as I explore books that celebrate the history of African-Americans.  Also reviewed this month:  Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grime, The Well by Mildred D. Taylor,  Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman, Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and  Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson.  Other reviews of interest:  A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg, Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis.

Based on Barack Obama’s memoir Dreams From My Father, Nikki Grimes has created a simple biography for young readers.  A mother sits with her young son as he asks her who is that man on TV.  She tells him Obama’s story from his beginnings in Hawaii to his arrival in Washington D.C. I think that this is a great introduction to learn the basic background of Obama.  It is not in any way unbiased though.  Barack Obama is portrayed in only the most positive light.  Fans of Barack Obama will enjoy this book, those who are not probably won’t.

As far as the illustrations by Bryan Collier they are very artistic. But personally, it’s not a style that I liked.  Collier says “Each page is created in watercolor and collage, which acts as a metaphor for piecing different parts or issues together to make something new, whole, or complete.”   So I understand it, I can appreciate it, but in this case I didn’t care for it at all.

Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope isn’t for everyone.  I think either you’ll like it or you won’t.  I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more with a slightly different execution.

Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope is part of my themed reading for the month of February which celebrates Black History Month.  Join me this month as I explore books that celebrate the history of African-Americans.  Also reviewed this month:  The Well by Mildred D. Taylor,  Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman, Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and  Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson.  Other reviews of interest:  A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg, Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis.

David, age ten, and his brother Hammer, age 13, don’t like it that they have to share their water.  Hammer’s pride and temper finally gets the best of him when he gets in a fight with Charlie Simms.  At a time when just looking the wrong way at a white man can a black man hung from a tree, the tension is tight.  The families conflict finally comes to an end that affects the entire community and shames one family entirely.

I was on the edge of my seat while reading The Well and I was angry.  I was angry at the injustice of it all, the humiliation of this family, and the inability for them to have control over their own lives.  I was angry at their submission and I was angry for the fear that was brought into their lives.  An excellent and emotional novel that shares a powerful message about racism and character.

The Well is part of my themed reading for the month of February which celebrates Black History Month.  Join me this month as I explore books that celebrate the history of African-Americans.  Also reviewed this month: Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman, Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen, Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges, Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson.  Other reviews of interest:  A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg, Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis.

Freedom Walkers is a wonderful introduction of how the 381-day boycott of the Montgomery Bus system spearheaded the civil rights movement.  Did you know that Rosa Parks was not the first woman to refuse to give up her seat to a white on the bus?  It’s just that she was the first perfect person who would look really, really great in court.  Did you know that a black individual had to get on the bus, pay their ten cent fare and then get off and go around to the rear entrance?  Sometimes the bus driver would take off leaving them behind.  Did you know that during the boycott, donations poured in from across the globe, enough to purchase more than 30 cars to donate to the carpool, which blacks were using as an alternative to riding the bus?

I also learned that blacks weren’t even asking to desegregate buses.  They simply were asking that the line separating blacks from whites not be fluid, that once seated they could not be asked to move when the whites ran out of seats.  Of course, once the case was taken to the Supreme Court, they won a whole lot more than that, the entire bus was desegregated.   I also learned that prior to the Montgomery Bus boycott Martin Luther King hadn’t played much of a role in community affairs.  He proved himself as a natural born leader who would go on to make great strides during the civil rights movement.

Okay, so I feel as though I’m rambling.  I just wanted to share with you the small insights that I had while reading – so in that case, you should just go read it!   Freedom Walkers was a perfect blend of personal stories, historical fact, and photos to take me back to a time and place that I am in utter disbelief  existed in our country.  I walked away with a heartfelt appreciation  for the men, women and children who stood up for their rights and demanded that they be treated as equals.

Russell Freedom concludes:

Parks’s defiance on that December evening in 1955 set in motion a peaceful revolution that led to the death of Jim Crow segregation in the South and brought black Americans into the nation’s political life.  But the success and true impact of the Montgomery boycott depended on the sacrifices and determination of thousands whose names are lost to history – maids, laborers, teachers, students, cooks, and others – ordinary people who rose above the safe routines of their daily lives to become actors in an historical drama that changed a nation.

Highly recommended for younger readers and adults alike to be introduced to the beginnings of the civil rights movement.

Freedom Walkers is part of my themed reading for the month of February which celebrates Black History Month.  Join me this month as I explore books that celebrate the history of African-Americans.  Also reviewed this month: Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen, Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and  Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson.  Other reviews of interest:  A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg, Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis.

To say that life is difficult for the slaves is a most horrific understatement.  They are treated as property in the truest sense.  You would think that you would take care of your property.  Right?  Not Master Waller.  He’s brutal – a whipping, kicking, beating, spitting kind of man who thinks the only way slaves can be motivated is through fear and intimidation.

I’d like to have somebody show me a meaner antagonist than Master Waller.  He is the worse that I have ever read about.  He is pure evil and if there is a hell for fictional characters I’m sure he’s there.  But what makes this story all the more horrifying is the imprint before the book “Except for variations in time and character identification and placement, the events written in this story are true and actually happened.”

John, known as Nightjohn, arrives at the plantation in shackles, a rope around his neck and stark naked.  From the scars on his back everybody knows that he’s a runner and a difficult one.  Sarny discovers that John knows his letters and numbers and that he’s willing to teach her.  He had once escaped to the North but came back to secretly teach slaves how to read.  To both teach and learn reading is a huge risk and those who are caught risk dismemberment of their toes, feet, fingers or hands.

Mammy talking to John:

“Why does it matter? Mammy leaned against the wall.  She had one hand on the logs, one on her cheek.  Tired.  “Why do that to these young ones?  To Sarny here.  If they learn to read -”

“And write.”

“And write, it’s just grief for them.  Longtime grief.  They find what they don’t have, can’t have.  It aint good to know that.  It eats at you then – to know it and not have it.”

“They have to be able to write,” John said.  Voice pushing.  He stood and reached out one hand with long fingers and touched mammy on the forehead.  It was almost like he be kissing her with his fingers.  Soft.  Touch like black cotton in the dark. “They have to read and write.  We all have to read and write so we can write about this – what they doing to us.  It has to be written.”

Mammy she turned and went back to her mat on the floor.  Moving quiet, not looking back.  She settled next to the young ones and John he turned to me and he say:

“Next is C.”

A very powerful book, gut-wrenching at times.  An awesome testament to the importance of literacy and the great lengths and dangers that many went through to obtain it.  One that I will not soon forget.  Highly recommended.

Nightjohn is part of my themed reading for the month of February which celebrates Black History Month.  Join me this month as I explore books that celebrate the history of African-Americans.  Also reviewed this month: Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and  Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson.  Other reviews of interest:  A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg, Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis.

Links of interest:  An excellent teacher’s guide on using Nightjohn in the classroom and Gary Paulsen’s website.  My friend Cari and her sister Holly also have a great discussion about Nightjohn over at Book Scoops.  More book blogger reviews.
Genre:  Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Publisher:  Delecorte Books for Young Readers.  January 1, 1993.
Hardcover, 96 pages.  ISBN:  0385308388
Nightjohn is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.