GIFT & BOX

Gift and Box take a trip through the mail system as they make their way from Grandma’s house to Sofia’s home.

“Gift was a gift. Box was a box. Together they were…a package.” These two take an incredible journey on their way to Sofia’s place. They wait at the post office, are jostled while riding in the mail truck, are placed into a shipping container, and travel across conveyor belts. They finally arrive at Sofia’s house, where both become treasured items for play. This is a sweet, imaginative take on friendship. The bond between Gift and Box is unexpected and heartwarming—though Box sometimes becomes exasperated with Gift’s complaining, Box is always there to reassure and cheer on Gift through frightening and uncertain times. Curious readers will enjoy seeing the steps that packages take to get from place to place, with Gift and Box’s exploits providing an insider’s perspective. Both have expressive faces that help convey their reactions to different parts of their trip. The collagelike illustrations give texture to clothing and piles of packages and a very realistic look to Box’s cardboard exterior. Grandma and Sofia are brown-skinned; Sofia has dark, puffy hair in ponytails.

This story is absolutely the full package.