A former staff attorney with a public interest law group, Levine now devotes her time to writing, lecturing, and teaching. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She has worked in film and television, taught adults and immigrant teenagers in special education and ESL programs, and served a law clerkship with Chief Judge Joseph Lord, U.S. She has a Master's degree in political science from the University of Chicago and a Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law.

degree in Politics from Brandeis University, graduating Magna cum laude. I enjoy learning new things and meeting new people, even if they lived 200 years ago.'Įllen Levine was born in New York City. 'Writing nonfiction lets me in behind the scenes of the story. Although she enjoys writing both fiction and nonfiction, most of Ellen's books for young readers have been nonfiction. The powerful illustrations will make readers feel as if they have gained insight into a resourceful man and his extraordinary story.Ellen Levine's books have won many awards and honors, including the Jane Addams Peace Award.

The author and illustrator take great care to relay the natural drama of what is happening to Brown. The story ends with Henry Brown emerging from the unhappy confinement of the crate and into a comfortable Pennsylvania parlor. Nelson’s paintings help create the proper mood for Brown’s family drama and exciting journey to freedom. Kadir Nelson, the book’s illustrator, was inspired by an 1850s lithograph portraying the Brown incident. His journey took just over one full day, during which he was often tossed sideways or upside down in the wooden crate. Brown, heartsick and desperate at losing his family, conspired with abolitionists and successfully traveled from Richmond, Virginia to Philadelphia in a packing crate. The text and evocative images tell how Henry Brown, a young slave, was torn from his mother as a child and forcibly separated from his wife and children as an adult.

The book’s author, Ellen Levine, was fascinated by Brown, whose story appeared in the 1872 book, The Underground Railroad, by William Still. Henry’s Freedom Box is a beautifully crafted picture book that briefly relates the story of Henry 'Box' Brown's daring escape from slavery. Henry’s Freedom Box A True Story from the Underground Railroad, by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson.

Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine