Author: Antoinette Portis

Have the summer boredom blues set in yet? Well, what kid would pass up an opportunity to get creative? Get a hold of Not a Box by Antoinette Portis and let the creativity begin—Your child will be entertained from start to finish!

Portis demonstrates how easily our imagination can be sparked. She shows how a plain ol’ ordinary box can be transformed into extraordinary objects. In one scene, “Why are you squirting a box?” receives a prompt response: “I said, it’s not a box.” The accompanying illustration is a bunny dressed up as a fireman; the box has been transformed into a building on fire…

Children love seeing the many transformations of one plain brown box, and they also love the predictability of the “It’s not a box, it’s a_______” repetition throughout the story. They are amazed as they see how it can be turned into a racecar, a robot, a mountain and so much more—just by adding a little imagination.

From an educational perspective, this book is great for the emerging reader. Not a Box provides exposure to several sight words and examples of concept vocabulary. Children are able to understand prepositions like “in” the box, “on top of” the box, and so forth. They may also have some luck phonetically sounding out some simple consonant vowel consonant (c-v-c) words like box, not, top and many more.

Any angle you take, this book is creative and shows children how much fun can be had if we just use our imaginations!

Suggestion: Follow up the story by giving your child a plain brown box, and see what they can transform it into—you may be surprised!