Not A Box by Antoinette Portis - Revision history

Sue at 09:08, 25 April 2025

2025-04-25T09:08:00Z

Kieran at 17:38, 4 April 2018

2018-04-04T17:38:06Z

Sue at 13:53, 5 January 2015

2015-01-05T13:53:46Z

Keith: 1 revision

2009-10-24T17:25:51Z

1 revision

Keith at 10:42, 6 September 2008

2008-09-06T10:42:22Z

New review

{{infobox
|title=Not A Box
|author=Antoinette Portis
|reviewer=Magda Healey
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=A reminder of the infinite power of children's imagination, with a simple, striking & tasteful design and artwork.
|rating=4
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|format=Paperback
|pages=32
|publisher=Harper Collins Children's Books
|date=May 2008
|isbn=978-0007254798
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007254806</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>0061123226</amazonus>
}}
'' Not-A-Box'' looks - like a box. It's got brown cardboardy cover and is even imprinted with 'This Way Up' and a net weight. Inside, in a minimalist palette of black and red on white, red yellow and brown pages, there is a story of a minimalist-Miffy-like child bunny who, as many a human child, loved sitting in boxes, hiding in boxes and wearing boxes.

An exasperated mother, appearing only as a disembodied voice in the dialogue, keeps asking silly questions of the ''Why are you wearing a box?'' type, while the child maintains that, obviously it's not a box. It's a space ship, a car, a burning tower block, a robot suit, a balloon, and a countless other things. In fact, it's simply Not-A-Box.

'' Not-A-Box'' is a great little concept book for small children and their parents. It celebrates the power of imagination and ingenuity that allows children to use the most mundane of objects to create their own scenes and worlds and act out stories. It's also funny and a pleasure to handle and look at.

The book has a carefully thought out, minimalist design which will appeal to all parents that can't stand the sweet old-fashioned pictures nor the garish modern ones, but the use of thick line and bold, colours (with red delineating the imaginary and black the everyday) will make it attractive and easy to understand to children.

The text is simple and reflects the often limited verbal competences of small children: '' It's NOT NOT NOT a box!''.

As often, I am not convinced about the necessity for an animal character replacing humans (why can't we have a generic child instead of a generic
rabbit?) , but despite that it's well worth borrowing, and possibly even buying, especially if your child is more sensitive to the visual than verbal and in particular if they like sitting in boxes themselves!

Thanks to HarperCollins for sending this to the Bookbag.

If this seems to subdued to appeal, try [[ROAR!]] by Margaret Mayo and Alex Ayliffe.

{{amazontext|amazon=0007254806}}

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 |author=Antoinette Portis

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-{{infobox
+{{infobox2
 |title=Not A Box
 |author=Antoinette Portis
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 |date=May 2008
 |isbn=978-0007254798
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007254806</amazonuk>
+|aznuk=0007254806
-|amazonus=<amazonus>0061123226</amazonus>
+|aznus=0061123226
 }}
 '' Not-A-Box'' looks - like a box. It's got brown cardboardy cover and is even imprinted with 'This Way Up' and a net weight. Inside, in a minimalist palette of black and red on white, red yellow and brown pages, there is a story of a minimalist-Miffy-like child bunny who, as many a human child, loved sitting in boxes, hiding in boxes and wearing boxes.

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 |buy=Maybe
 |borrow=Yes
 |pages=32
 |publisher=Harper Collins Children's Books
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 {{amazontext|amazon=0007254806}}
 {{commenthead}}

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