From ALSC: "The true story of Henry “Box” Brown, who shipped himself to freedom in a box, is told in 51 emotionally intense poems that have implications for the present day."

I read this and was torn on including it in my library. I advise reading it first before sharing it with your family. What led me to including it was someone pointing out picture books can make a pathway to discussing difficult subjects. I will be shelving this in history, not with the picture books.

I heard the story of Henry "Box" Brown on a podcast a couple years and was amazed by the sheer boldness of such a plan. Carole Boston Weatherford tells his incredible story in a series of poems, each written in as "sixians" and the number six factors prominently, reflecting the cubic structure of a box. Henry Brown was born into slavery and after he was separated from his wife and kids, he became desperate for freedom and to be reunited with his family. The lengths he was will to go to gain his freedom tell of the brutality of slavery and of man's inherent desire for freedom. Michele Wood's geometric illustrations also speak to the geometric nature of a box and of the impressionistic paintings of faces and characters reflect the emotional turbulence and distortion happening within Brown and the broad strokes of Weatherford's poetry. A great poetic depiction of the life of Henry "Box" Brown and the impacts of slavery on America, this book delivers. ( )

In a moving, lyrical tale about the cost and fragility of freedom, a New York Times best-selling author and an acclaimed artist follow the life of a man who courageously shipped himself out of slavery.

What have I to fear?
My master broke every promise to me.
I lost my beloved wife and our dear children.
All, sold South. Neither my time nor my body is mine.
The breath of life is all I have to lose.
And bondage is suffocating me.

Henry Brown wrote that long before he came to be known as Box, he "entered the world a slave." He was put to work as a child and passed down from one generation to the next -- as property. When he was an adult, his wife and children were sold away from him out of spite. Henry Brown watched as his family left bound in chains, headed to the deeper South. What more could be taken from him? But then hope -- and help -- came in the form of the Underground Railroad. Escape!

In stanzas of six lines each, each line representing one side of a box, celebrated poet Carole Boston Weatherford powerfully narrates Henry Brown's story of how he came to send himself in a box from slavery to freedom. Strikingly illustrated in rich hues and patterns by artist Michele Wood, Box is augmented with historical records and an introductory excerpt from Henry's own writing as well as a time line, notes from the author and illustrator, and a bibliography.
Review by Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/52033566-box

A beautiful portrayal of one man who escapes slavery but heart-rending in its descriptions of slavery.

A great book for teaching American history. ( )