Kirkus Reviews

When his wife and children are sold away, an enslaved man devises an extraordinary means of escape to the North and succeeds. Henry Brown worked in a tobacco factory in Richmond, Va. With the help of abolitionist friends, he built a box barely big enough for his large frame and mailed himself to Philadelphia and "freedom-land." Walker, winner of the Sibert Medal, captures the spirit and resolve of the man through her graceful writing and inclusion of songs of praise. She recounts his childhood, marriage to another slave and the fears, soon realized, that the family would be torn apart. Textured paintings and collage by Qualls express both the depth of Henry's love and the drama and ordeal of the journey, with dark shadows depicting the closeness of the box. Walker does change one fact. She has Henry cut his finger to get sent home prior to the escape. He actually used acid, as recounted in the award-winning Henry's Freedom Box, by Ellen Levine and illustrated by Kadir Nelson (2007). Nonetheless, this stands as another excellent, accessible account of the harshness of slavery. An excerpted letter written by the recipient of Henry "Box" Brown is included. The desire to live free is powerful, and this story celebrates one man's amazing journey to achieve that end. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 5-10)

ALA Booklist (Thu Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2011)

Much admired for her well-researched history and science nonfiction titles, Walker here explores the life of a slave who famously made his escape to freedom by squeezing into a crate bound for Philadelphia. As revealed in the author's note, Walker was intrigued by the role song played in Brown's life, and her affecting, homespun narrative imagines how singing helped him endure extreme hardship: "As Henry worked 'neath Virginia's hot sun, he sang his workday song. Its lift, tote, toss-the-sack words sent strength to his arms." Like Ellen Levine's Henry's Freedom Box (2007), Walker's text touches on Brown's childhood and his heartrending separation from his wife and children, but much of the book is devoted to the claustrophobia-inducing details of the slave's incredible escape. Qualls' acrylic, pencil, and collage artwork, featuring a somber palette of black, brown, and blue, is particularly well suited to the subject, and the dynamically composed illustrations ratchet up the drama of this heroic tale.

Horn Book (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2012)

Walker's rhythmic text imagines young Henry's moods expressed as songs. The story follows his life as a slave, his devastation when his wife and children are sold away from him, and his clever yet dangerous plan to escape to freedom hidden inside a crate. Qualls's use of space and color captures the nuances of Brown's incredible story.

School Library Journal Starred Review (Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

Gr 4-7 Owen Jester believes his summer is off to a great start when he captures the biggest, best bullfrog in Carter, GA. He names it Tooley Graham and builds a cage for it in his bedroom. When Tooley starts to look a bit sick, Owen's know-it-all neighbor, Viola, insists that he put the frog back into the pond or it will die. One night, Owen hears something fall off a train passing the tracks in the woods behind his house. The boy and his two friends discover a two-person submarine known as a Water Wonder 4000 hidden in the brush. Owen tries to keep this fantastic secret hidden from his family, and especially from nosey Viola, at least until he can take the sub for a ride. But when Viola discovers the secret, Owen must include her in the plans. Barbara O'Connor's entertaining, sometimes humorous summer adventure (Farrar, 2010) about friendship and discovery is narrated by Noah Galvin. He does a superb job of creating unique voices for each character, making this a fantastic listening adventure.— Amy Joslyn, Fairport Public Library, NY

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In a loose, poetic narrative tracing the life of Henry Brown, a Virginia slave who mailed himself to freedom, Walker (Blizzard of Glass) underscores what song meant to Henry. Working in the cotton fields, -he sang his workday song. Its lift, tote, toss-the-sack words sent strength to his arms.- Most dear to him is his -freedom song,- which -soothed Henry-s greatest fear- that he would be separated from his family. Years later, Henry is devastated when their master sells off his wife and young children. Encouraged by his freedom song and the hope that there were -folks in freedom-land- who could help him locate his family, Henry enlists the aid of a white shopkeeper to execute his daring escape. Dominated by subdued blues and browns, Qualls-s (Giant Steps to Change the World) artwork exudes his familiar folk art-like quality, with floating circles of various colors and patterns serving as a visual metaphor for the hope Henry-s song represents. Excerpts from a letter written by the Philadelphia abolitionist who received Henry-s box lend a haunting veracity to this harrowing account. Ages 4-8. Author and illustrator-s agent: Writers House. (Jan.)