Not a Box by Antoinette Portis is about just this. In this very simple and appealing picture book, a rabbit is repeatedly questioned about why he is sitting in, or standing on, or wearing, a box. Each time he explains that it is not actually a box. The accompanying pictures show him driving a race car, climbing a mountain, putting out a fire in a building, and so on. As the book progresses, the rabbit becomes less patient with the person questioning him, which gives the reader (you!) a wonderful opportunity to play it up a little bit. (Lose your patience, get a little loud!)What I love about this book is that it gives you the opportunity to then give your child a cardboard box to play with...without them looking at you like you're insane! How much fun would it be to watch them be creative and come up with their own scenarios for this box? A little imagination can go a long way, and this book is perfect for sparking a little bit of imaginitive fun.
If you find you and your child like this book, you may want to check out Not a Stick, which is almost exactly the same, except the bunny is a pig and the box is a stick. And what kid wouldn't want to play with a stick?
