Henry and the Freedom Box by Ellen Levine - DIVERSITY

This book is a great book to have in a library to show diversity. It tells the story of a young African-American boy named Henry Brown. Henry does not know when his actual birthday is because slaves were not allowed to know this information. Henry and his family worked very hard and thier master was very good to them. When Henry's master was dying, he thought his master might free him, but instead, he gave Henry to his son. Henry worked hard in his master's factory, but longed to be as free as a bird he had watched earlier. Henry could not afford to daydream, because if you made a mistake, the master would beat you. Henry met an African-American lady, Nancy, who was shopping for her mistress. They later became married and had a family. Nancy told Henry that her master was losing money. The master sold Henry's family. Henry decided to escape. Two men he had become acquainted with helped him. They put Henry in a box and addressed it to Philadelphia. Henry travelled by train and boat, sometimes upside down. He finally reached his destination. He arrived at a home in Philadelphia where friends of his acquaintances were waiting for him. He decided this date was now his birthday because is was the first day of his freedom.

This picture book should be on library shelves because of its ease of reading and the great pictures. The book tells a great story and one that will be easy for even elementary students to relate to. There is a note in the back from the author that has even more explanations about the story. The book tells how slave families were beaten, treated unfairly, and separated. The book tells these things without being crude or graphic.

Levine, Ellen. (2007). Henry and the Freedom Box. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Levine, Ellen. (2007). Retrieved on May 3, 2009 from website http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Henry+and+the+freedom+box&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis - DIVERSITY

Eleven-year-old Elijah is the first child in Buxton, Canada born into freedom. He has never had any experience with slavery other than being born to former slaves. When a thief steals money from a friend, Elijah decides to do something about it. His friend was saving money to free his enslaved family and bring them to Canada. Elijah decided to leave Canada and cross into the dangerous territory of America in pursuit of his friend’s money. Elijah discovers first hand what his parents endured. Elijah saw the unimaginable horrors of the life his parents fled. This story shows how a fragile child becomes a capable young man. His withstands a confrontation with slavery in order to pursue a crooked preacher.

This chapter books shows a lot of diversity. The language in the book reflects the Southern and African-American dialect known during the era. The way African-Americans were treated by whites is shown in this book. The African-Americans were treated worse than animals. They really had no rights and were in no way treated as citizens. This book gives a lot of facts about the Buxton settlement. It gives a lot of insight while being humorous and sad at the same time. This book is fairly easy to read and is a must have for any school or public library.

Curtis, Christopher Paul. (2007). Elijah of Buxton. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Curtis, Christopher Paul. (2007) Retrieved on May 1, 2009 from website

http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&sa=1&q=elijah+of+buxton&aq=0&oq=Elijah+of+Bu

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

The Lorax is a fabulous children's story that teaches about the environment. Dr. Seuss uses his magic of rhyming to explain the importance of taking care of the world around you. The Once-ler in the story begins cutting down all the Tuffula trees to further his business. As his business grows, he polutes the air, cuts down all the trees, and runs off all other inhabitants. Eventually, the Once-ler realizes what he has done to the environment where he lives and gives a boy the last Truffula seed to plant. He explains to the boy how to take care of it. He needs to provide fresh air, water, and protection. The Once-ler tells him to protect the Truffula from those who would want to cut it down.

I read this book to my fourth grade students when we celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday. We spent some time discussing the environment. We compared how the Once-ler destroyed the environment and how we destroy it. We talked about ways to help our environment and how the Once-ler could have done things differently. The Great Kapok Tree written by Cherry Lynn is another book I have used to talk to my students about the environment. Both books are great books to use.


Geisel, T.S. (1971). The lorax. New York, NY: Random House.

Geisel, T.S. (1971). Retrieved on May 1, 2009 from web site http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=The+lorax&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=

Cherry, Lynn. (1990). The Great Kapok Tree. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss has written classics that will withstand the ages. His books have been around for years and will continue to be popular with children, parents, and teachers. The Cat in the Hat is a book with a lot of tension that children really do not seem to understand without prompting. The fish acts as the "angel" on the shoulder of the children while the Cat in the Hat is the "devil" on the other shoulder. While the Cat in the Hat is enticing the children to do things they know are wrong and don't necessarily want to do, the fish is reminding them not to. This is much like children really are. They are always enticed to do what is wrong, but in the back of their mind, they know they shouldn't . The fish is their conscience and the Cat in the Hat represents the battles they face every day.

An example of another book with similar tension is Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. The reader is told immediately not to let the pigeon drive the bus while he is away. The pigeon, much like the rabbit in the "Trix" commercial, is constantly trying to convince the reader to let him drive.

Another book is Where the Wild Things Are. The young boy in this book is sent to his room without supper and this makes him angry with his mother. He then dreams of taking a boat and visiting where the wild things are. They make him their king and he can be as terrible as he chooses. The wild things are lashing out and acting like Max until he tires of it and tells them to "be still". He sees in them what his mother might have seen in him and wants to go home.

These two books are good books, but Dr. Seuss is the best!

Geisel, T.S. (1957). The cat in the hat. New York, NY: Random House.

Geisel, T.S. (1957). Retrieved on April 28, 2009 from web site http://jennifermorrill.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/cat-hat-book.jpg

Sendak, M. (1963). Where the wild things are. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Willems, M (2003). Don't let the pigeon drive the bus!. New York, NY: Hyperion Books For Children.

Willems, M. (2003). Retrieved on April 28, 2009 from web site http://www.larl.org/kids/images/don%27t_let_the_pigeon.jpg


Sendak, M. (1963). Retrieved on April 28, 2009 from web site http://assets.kaboose.com/media/00/00/05/1d/e23332247e1d3c2f593f8d072395b972a74c95b3/476x357/Where-The-Wild-Things-Are_476x357.jpg

The Butterfly Boy by Laurence Yep

This book is taken from the writings of Chuang Tzu, a fourth-century B.C. thinker who was known by some as the Butterfly Philosopher. The book is the story of a boy who dreams of being a butterfly until he is a butterfly, and he then dreams of being a boy. People make fun of him when he dreams of being a butterfly. He attempts to fly over a buffalo, suck nectar from a flower, and finds great beauty in stagnant water.

Another book I enjoy by Yep is "The Magic Paintbrush". This is a very good book as well. It has good meaning and is a little easier to understand for younger children.


Yep, Laurence. (1993). The Butterfly Boy. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.



Yep, Laurence. (1993). Retrieved on April 21, 2009 from web site http://www.bestwebbuys.com/books/author.jsp?No=30&mcid=2000686&Ntt=2000686&Ntk=P_ContribIDs&N=0&isrc=b-authorsearch

The Ugly Duckling by Jerry Pinkney

Jerry Pinkney has been winning Caldecot Medals and Honors for years. He has been illustrating since 1962. "The Ugly Duckling" is a favorite book originally written by Hans Crhistian Andersen, but this version was adapted and illustrated by Mr. Pinkney. The colors in this book are fabulous. He uses muted blues, greens, and yellows at the beginning of the book and moves to brighter colors at the end. This seems to symbolize the muted feeling of the duck in the beginning and the happier mood at the end. Jerry Pinkney has illustrated other books such as "Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales", "John Henry", and "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry". All of these books have wonderful illustrations. I really like a well written book, but for children, great illustrations are a plus.

Pinkney, Jerry. (1999). The Ugly Duckling. New York: Morrow Junior Books.
Pinkney, Jerry. (1999). Retrieved on April 21, 2009 from Web site

2007 Coretta Scott King Award - Poetry for Young People by Langston Hughes

In this book, Langston Hughes incorporates African-American musical traditions into literature. He uses material from the world around him to write his poetry. He wrote what he saw and experienced. His poetry is written so that the rhyming has actual rhythm. Under the title to each poem you will find the reason for its being. "Aunt Sue's Stories" is one of my favorites in the book. This poem was written in honor of his maternal grandmother's stories. He writes about his the blues, his dreams, the African-American struggles, and places he has seen.

This book addresses diveristy in each and every poem. The poems tell of the hard times had by African-Americans during Hughes' life. (He lived from the 1920's until 1967) He lived through the years of separation and talks about this in his poems, it is seen in the poem "The Merry-Go Round".

Hughes, Langston. (2006). Poetry for Young People. New York: Sterling Publishing Company.

Hughes, Langston. (2006). Retrieved on April 21, 2009 from Web site http://aalbc.com/books/2007_csk_winners.htm