Module 10 - Henry's Freedom Box

Levine, E. (2007). Henry's freedom box. New York: Scholastic Press.

Summary:

This book is based on a true story about Henry 'Box' Brown.  He was born a slave, and eventually was separated from his mother.  He worked in a tobacco factory for his new owner.  The book often refers to birds that Henry watches, admiring their freedom.  Henry eventually marries and has children of his own.  One day he is informed that his wife and children are being sold.  Henry runs to the auction and sees his children and wife being taken away.  He goes into a depression which the book describes as a dark time when he could not sing or hum.  One day he sees a bird and decides he wants to be free as well.  He goes to a white man, who believes in freedom, and they think of a plan.  Henry burns his hand with oil of vitriol, which enables him to stay home from work without his master becoming suspicious.  With the help of friends, he packs himself in a wooden crate and mails himself to Philadelphia.  There friends of the white man helping Henry will unpack the crate.  Amazingly, Henry survives the journey and the crate is opened in Philadelphia where he is now a free man. 

My Impression:

This is one of my favorite picture books.  The artwork, by Kadir Nelson, is wonderful and it was a Caldecott Honor Book in 2008.   While the characters in the book are not allowed to share how they are feeling, Nelson shows their feelings in their faces through his art. This book describes the heartbreaking parts of slavery, including family separation and not having a birthday to celebrate.  Henry is presented as a good man, who follows all of the rules, only to be subjected to abuse and sadness.  When the box is opened in Philadelphia, the reader realizes they have been rooting for Henry all along.

Library Usage:

I think this would be a great book to read aloud to students during Black History Month.  Henry Brown is indeed a hero, willing to risk his life to escape slavery.  Younger students (K-2) could be asked to think about what they would put in a box to keep safe.  They could draw what they would want to keep safe, and write a sentence or two about why it is so important to them.  The librarian can help them make the connection between their important thing and the importance of Henry's freedom.

Older children can research to find out more about Henry Brown.  He traveled from Virginia to Philadelphia in 27 hours.  He took with him some water and a few biscuits.  Students could write a narrative passage pretending to be Henry and describe his experience in the box in first person.

Review:

Gr 2-5 --In 1849, after seeing his wife and children sold on the auction block, Henry "Box" Brown had himself shipped North to freedom in a wooden crate. The straightforward, sympathetic text imagines Brown's history while darkly radiant and haunting paintings reflect his emotional pain, determination, and eventual triumph.

Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story. (2007). School Library Journal, 5326.



Module 9 - The Body of Christopher Creed

Plum-Occi, C. (2000).  The body of Christopher Creed.  San Diego: Harcourt.

Summary: 

Torey is a high school student with a seemingly perfect life in a ‘perfect’ suburb.  When a classmate named Christopher Creed,who has always been somewhat ostracized, goes missing, Torey’s life and the suburb change.  As people take sides on whether or not Christopher is dead, Torey finds himself involved with Ali and Bo, two students who he typically would not hang out with.  As the three of them try to find out what happened to Christopher, they discover things about his family that were not quite right.  Torey learns that Ali is having a difficult time at home that is causing her behavior to drastically change.  He also that Bo, a kid from the wrong side of town who has been in trouble a great deal, has a challenging home life.  He also discovers Bo’s good points.  The story begins with Torey admitting he spent some time in a psychiatric hospital before leaving town and going to boarding school.  He then proceeds to tell the story, and the reader sees what led up to the hospitalization and boarding school.  The story’s ending manages to answer all the questions the reader has throughout the book.

My Impression:

 I loved the psychological aspects of this book.  It looks at the home lives of adolescents and shows how much it influences them.   Torey is somewhat naïve about what his classmate’s deal with at home, and being exposed to different things changes his thinking, and his behavior.  As he searches for answers to Christopher’s disappearance, he learns about himself and the outside world.  When he is traumatized towards the end of the book, he begins the process of putting all the things he has learned together in a way that makes sense.  His family provides a lot of support for him, and even his friends at times, and this allows the reader to see a healthy family.

Library Usage:

This is a great book to use for discussions on families and how they influence us.  It can lead into a discussion about what you want to take from your family, and ways you want to be different from your family.  As a social worker, I could see using this book with patients who come from those ‘dysfunctional’ families that are not overtly abnormal.  Sometimes children have a difficult time knowing what is not normal when it is subtle.  As the book mentions, this can be the most difficult type of ‘abuse’ to deal with.

Review:

Christopher was the weirdo everybody picked on, the troubled soul no one bothered to befriend. When Christopher disappeared, some pointed to evidence that he simply left town, but others decided he had been murdered. The mystery of Christopher's disappearance is never solved, but several lives are irrevocably damaged in the aftermath. Torey tells the story a year later in a voice that is fresh and real, alternately humorous and devastatingly perceptive. He has learned that you should not judge anyone before making an effort to understand his or her situation. Though action and suspense abound, the book's highlights are its character studies. Even minor characters are well drawn, and the town itself becomes a character with a distinct personality. Christopher himself, although he disappeared before the book's beginning, endears himself to readers as he is painted as a boy to be pitied but also to be admired.

The body of Christopher Creed (Book Review). (2000). Book Report, 19(3), 61.

Module 8 - Flawed Dogs: The Shocking Raid on Westminster

Breathed, B. (2009). Flawed dogs: the shocking raid on Westminster. NewYork: Philomel  

         Books.

Summary:

Sam is a dachshund who belongs to Heidy, an orphan who loves him.  However, Heidy lives in ahouse with a poodle named Cassius.  Cassius is envious of Sam and sets out to destroy him.  He eventually manages to get rid of Sam, and Sam ends up at the pound.  Once at the pound, Sam learns the difference between ‘show’ dogs, and dogs that are flawed.  Sam manages to escape the pound, but has another run in with Cassius.  During their encounter, Cassius informs Sam that Heidy loves him now, and proceeds to back Sam up into a metal trap.  Sam loses his back leg and faints.  He awakens in an animal experiment lab, where he is used for experiments for three years.  Upon escaping the lab, Sam is hit by a truck.  The driver of the truck saves Sam, and creates a new leg for him out of a gravy ladle.  However, the driver needs money and arranges for Sam to fight in a dog fight.  Sam manages to escape, and meets up with other ‘flawed’ dogs.  He decides that the ultimate revenge on Cassius would be to ruin the Westminster Dog Show before Cassius could win.  He manages to do this, and is ultimately reunited with Heidy at the dog show. 

My Impression:

I chose to read this book based on the author.  Breathed was the author of the Bloom County and Opus comic series.  He illustrated the pictures that are in the book, and his style is recognizable.  I enjoyed the book, although it is not one that I would have read if I had not been familiar with the author.  The book definitely jumps around a lot, and at times it was a little bit difficult to follow.  The ending was very well done.  Even though Sam is no longer a show dog, and is now a dog with flaws, he is reunited with the girl who loves him no matter what.  Parts of the book hint at violence, but nothing is described in detail.  This is definitely a book that animal lovers would enjoy.  Even though the review recommends the book for grades 3-6, I think older students and even adults would enjoy it as well.

Library Usage:

This book is full of events.  It would make an excellent book to read aloud over a period of a couple of weeks, and then complete a sequencing activity.  Having students retell the events of the story would allow them to practice using their transition words in writing, such as:  first, next, then, finally. 

This book can also be used to discuss beauty in our society.  In the book, show dogs are valued more than the ‘flawed’ dogs.  Students could discuss ways in which that message is sent to people in our current society.  What other similarities do they see between the dog world in the book and our modern society?

Review:

3-6--This chapter book is a spin-off of Breathed's 2003 picture book of the same name (Little, Brown). Sam the dachshund was bred to be an award-winning show dog, right down to his priceless "Duüglitz tuft." But Sam has no interest in appearances; like all dogs, beautiful or "flawed," all he really wants is to belong to someone special, and to be loved. After a dramatic escape from his frightful new owner, he sneaks into a girl's luggage and soon wins her affections. But Cassius, a champion full-size poodle and denizen of Sam's new home, is not accustomed to being second in anyone's heart and is determined to get rid of him. What follows is a series of misadventures for Sam and a group of abandoned animals from the National Last-Ditch Dog Depository. Featuring some harrowing moments, this is not a story for the faint of heart, but readers will definitely be rooting for Sam and his comically imperfect band of followers. Black-and-white and full-color illustrations, done in the award-winning author's familiar style, are sprinkled throughout, adding depth to an already engaging and well-paced tale.

Marie, J. (2009). Flawed Dogs, the Novel: The Shocking Raid on Westminster. School Library Journal, 55(11), 101.