Not a Box

The title of this picture-book for very young children reminds me of Magritte's famous painting, La trahison des images (The Treachery of Images), in which an image of a pipe is labeled: "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" ("This is not a pipe"). Rather than calling into question the distinctions between image and reality, however, Not a Box is a charming juxtaposition of the prosaic (and one presumes, adult) perspective, when confronted with a cardboard box, and the creative response of the child, when confronted with the same. As the rabbit-like child keeps informing the off-screen questioner, this is NOT a box. It is a mountain, a burning building, a robot suit, and much, much more! It is, in short, whatever the child wants and needs it to be, show more in the course of her imaginative play.

I enjoyed Not a Box enough that I'm considering tracking down the follow-up, Not a Stick, but I have to wonder whether the very young children who make up the ideal audience for it, visually speaking, will really appreciate the story. It's not a question of understanding, so much, but of interest. Will young readers be as entertained by the juxtaposition of perspective, mentioned above, as adults? I suspect that this one plays more to the adult fascination with, and nostalgia for, the make-believe of youth, than to a genuinely childlike appreciation for play. Then again, perhaps I am (like so many other reviewers that I myself have criticized) underestimating the young reader...? show less

Quem nunca brincou dentro de uma caixa de papelão? É exatamente isto que faz o protagonista de Não é uma caixa: solta a criatividade e embarca em infinitas aventuras a bordo deste objeto “banal” – assim pensam as pessoas pouco inventivas. Num jogo divertido, ele é indagado a cada página sobre o que está fazendo com certa caixa de papelão. E, claro,sempre responde: "não é uma caixa". É quando a ilustração revela o que na verdade a caixa representa para ele. Aqui, a brincadeira começa na capa, com o sinal de “este lado para cima” e outros símbolos comuns em caixas de papelão, além de orelhas que envolvem o próprio livro. Paulo Tatit, músico e autor de canções do selo Palavra Cantada, comenta no texto de show more quarta capa o contraste entre o mundo infantil e o mundo sério da maturidade. Porque “à medida que crescemos, uma caixa vai se tornando apenas uma caixa. Mas nunca perdemos a capacidade de voltar a sentir, ainda que por alguns minutinhos, aquele delicioso faz de conta”. Para crianças e adultos pensarem – e viverem –além da caixa. show less

Like so many excellent children’s books, adults will get so much more out of it than their children. An unseen adult asks the bunny child about his “box”; the clever bunny repeatedly denies that it’s a box — and thanks to his imagination, it’s not! It can be anything: racecar, a blazing apartment building, and even Mount Everest and more! Author Antoinette Portis, with her story and drawings, has crafted a valentine to imagination. Highly, highly recommended.

This picture book captures the whimsy of children's imagination. As parents we all grumble about buying our children gifts, when they just want to play with the box.
This book celebrates kid wanting to play in a box.

Minimal words in this book about all the different things a box can be. Anyone who's ever given a kid a toy only to have them spend more time playing with the box then the toy can appreciate this book. Minimal words, it's more about the pictures showing all the things a box can be. Good read aloud!

What an adorable, spare story book about a little rabbit and his imagination! It perfectly captures the sometimes confusing attachments that young children make to simple objects like boxes. Why a box? Because it is not a box! It is a million different toys! A Barbie doll can only be a Barbie doll, but a box can be Barbie's house, car, space ship, limo, Queen sized bed, library, or pool.

I didn't like it as well as most of the reviewers. It does seem good for read aloud and it does encourage imaginative play. The repetetive nature of the text is easy for toddlers and those learning to read to memorize. I guess that's the lesson of children's books - as an adult, they're not really for you!