My picture book of the week is Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, which relates the story of Henry "Box" Brown's escape from slavery, by having himself mailed in a crate from Richmond, Virginia to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The trip took 27 hours.
The book jacket says that Kadir Nelson's paintings for this book were inspired by an antique lithograph of Henry Box Brown, made in 1850. To give the feel of the lithograph, Nelson crosshatched pencil lines, then applied layers of watercolor and oil paint. These illustrations are outstanding, and a great example of why I love picture books. They reproduce fine art, making it available to many people at one time, inexpensive, easily transportable, can be enjoyed an unlimited number of times, and most importantly, easily shared with children.
The crosshatched texture and rich color in Nelson's paintings really make them exceptional, so it's no surprise that this book was awarded a Caldecott Honor. I've been behind on my reading of award winners, and I couldn't remember what was the medal winner that year, so I assumed I must not have read it. I undertook to look it up and compare, wondering, "How is it that Henry's Freedom Box didn't merit the medal--what book published the same year could possibly have been better?" When I looked up the award list, I was reminded that the winner was The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. My mind had drawn a blank on 2008's medal winner because I was trying to remember something in the 32-page format, which Cabret was not. I don't need to quibble over who got the #1 spot--both books deserved recognition. How wonderful it is that there are so many marvelous and beautiful books, and new ones every year, to enjoy. Long live picture books.
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