Box Tales: Grow, Strawberries, Grow!

Gr 1-4–No one loves strawberries more than Bea and Box (yes, a talking cardboard box). In fact, they love them so much they set a goal to eat one billion strawberries; however, they have eaten all the strawberries they have at home, and Bea’s mom will not buy any more. So, Bea and Box set on a quest to grow the billion strawberries they will need to accomplish their goal. After a failed attempt without help, a fact-finding mission to the local library, a visit to their gardening neighbor, Mrs. Gomez, lots of patience, and a night spent sleeping outside to protect their plants from squirrels, Bea and Box are finally successful in growing strawberries, though not a billion. This is a hilariously entertaining yet extremely educational book on the processes of germination, gardening, and food production. The author succeeds in understanding a child’s impatience and gives a very realistic introduction into the fun and satisfaction of growing one’s own food, as well as the difficulties and pitfalls. The representation in this book is also well done, with the three adults (Bea’s mom, the librarian, and Mrs. Gomez) all appearing to be people of color from varying backgrounds, and Mrs. Gomez speaks to Bea and Box using some Spanish words and phrases. As a special treat at the end, Bea and Box provide a visual recipe for strawberry lemonade.