Grace and Box

K-Gr 2–In this cheerful ode to the joys of independent imaginative play, a girl goes on myriad pretend adventures with a big cardboard box left over from her family’s new refrigerator delivery. After the effects of her boisterous play leave her inanimate friend with some inevitable wear and tear, she patches up Box to continue the fun. Grace, a little Black girl with curly hair, is shown to be an inventive child who relishes science, history, and geography, creating adventures for herself and Box in outer space, ancient Rome, the deep sea, and around the world. Readers will be drawn in by the book’s vibrant, textured illustrations, and the large scale of the images make this title an especially good pick for a group story time. The text is written in a neat, uncomplicated rhyme scheme that makes for a pleasing read-aloud experience. The theme of repurposing an everyday object—then fixing it when it breaks—is a nice counter to the concept of throwaway culture.