The Big Box

Grades 1-4 Toni Morrison and son, Slade Morrison, bring us a moralistic rhyming children's book with The Big Box (Hyperion, 1999). The joke is on the adults, however, as they are to learn the ultimate lesson. The story opens with three kids living in a joyful, adult-free world filled with things that kids love-- ice cream, bean-bag chairs, bunk beds, and swing sets, all inside one room (a big brown box)! Adults are only allowed once a week, and when they come, they bring wonderful presents. Within pages we discover that this wonder-room isn't quite what it seems. Our three heroes have been placed there by adults who love them because they have proven that they can't "handle their freedom." The angular, water-colored illustrations by Giselle Potter follow the children as they break rules at school, at home, and in the greater world. The adults in their lives, fearing they will not be equipped for life in the adult world impose limited freedom in the big, brown box. Toni and Slade create sympathetic characters that make us question how we treat children for the sake of "their own good." The illustrations are a bit jarring, though they lend to the surreal aspects of the story. Overall a thought-provoking and musical read-aloud. Recommended, ***