When Mom brings them to the beach, Jules immediately starts building while her sister goes off with a boogie board. …but the Ocean has other plans! Sima’s story hinges on Jules’ adoration of her big sister (unnamed and with slightly darker brown skin than Jules’ and their mom’s). Little Jules is determined to impress her big sister with an amazing sand castle… Following up with the likes of Ethan Long’s Out of the Box (2014) or Suzanne Bloom’s A Mighty Fine Time Machine (2009) may prompt deeper digs into the imaginative possibilities.Ī bright and cozy excursion down a well-toddled path.

Thomas, Alice, and Sam are all fair Nancy has brown skin and kinky hair. The theme isn’t exactly new, but the narrative’s leading questions and the large, cleanly drawn figures of bigheaded children and their creative efforts make this a particularly simple and direct explication.

Following a brief round of play, the children then turn to the empties: “Whatever do you think they’ll do with all those boxes? Well….” More-elaborate play ensues, as the cartons are combined, altered, and decorated to serve as a castle, a ship, a stage, a tall foldout rocket, an even larger gatefold train, and finally a cozy nest just right for a collective snooze. Thomas, Alice, Sam, and Nancy each have a carton that, with the lift of a flap-or in Nancy’s case, several nested flaps-reveals a toy or other surprise. Further evidence that, for young children at least, boxes are gifts that keep on giving.

Box by Min Flyte