Staff Writer: Johnny
Published Date: September 10, 1999
Number of Pages: 48 pages
Format: Physical Book
Genre: Picture Book
Tags: Children, Fantasy, Poetry
Cardigan rating: 4 out of 5
Why did I pick up this book? It was a combination of things that interested me. The first thing was the cover and art style. The art style I have not really seen before, or really thought to seek out. It's different from what you would expect to see in a picture book, but to me, it has a sense of comfort as well. I love the sort of roughness about the art and how it captures the complete feel of the book.
Another reason I picked this book was the author, Toni Morrison. I took a class on Morrison and her writings in college. Her books targeted towards adults hit me hard back then, so I was surprised to see she has also written books targeted towards children. I will say The Big Box hit me, but in a different way. The co-author of the book is Slade Morrison, who is Toni Morrison’s only son. Sadly, he passed away in December 2010. However, this book is a great example of the legacy he and his mother will leave behind for children for many years to come.
As a child, my parents never told me not to explore my interests or not to be myself. However, some of my teachers in school said to me that a child should be calm, well-behaved, and keep their interests at home or to themselves. This book tells us that we are free to be ourselves, no matter where we are. The adults in the book put the children in a “box”, so they are free to be themselves, but only within the “box”. This book is a great way to teach children to be themselves and to explore their interests. Please do not put yourself in a box and come check out The Big Box at the Florence County Library.