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Roxaboxen
From two-time Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator Barbara Cooney and celebrated children’s book author Alice McLerran comes Roxaboxen, a treasured story about the magic of a child’s imagination.
Marian called it Roxaboxen. There across the road, it looked like any rocky hill—nothing but sand and rocks, and some old wooden boxes. But it was a special place. And all children needed to go there was a long stick and a soaring imagination.
“A celebration of the transforming magic of the imagination. An original.” —ALA Booklist
Marian called it Roxaboxen. There across the road, it looked like any rocky hill—nothing but sand and rocks, and some old wooden boxes. But it was a special place. And all children needed to go there was a long stick and a soaring imagination.
“A celebration of the transforming magic of the imagination. An original.” —ALA Booklist
32 pages, Paperback
First published April 22, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 457 reviews
May 8, 2017
A wonderful story about some children who make up a land of their own and call it Roxaboxen. They make streets out of rows of pebbles and use boxes for beds and tables. Soon shops, horses and a whole society evolves with a mayor, policeman and as much icecream as you can eat. Beautiful book about childhood imagination and how it seems that the less you have to play with the better the imagination is. This book takes you back to the magic of made up games and worlds you enjoyed in your childhood. The afterword is so poignant, I can't imagine how that would feel going back and seeing the things she described after all that time.
June 4, 2012
This was my favorite book as a child. Granted, I'm completely biased because it's about my great-grandmother, Anna May, and her sisters, and the author is my cousin.
April 26, 2009
Don't be misled by my rating, this really is a good book. The illustrations, while not the best I've ever seen from Cooney, are reliably high in quality, and McLerran's prose captures the voice of her elderly relative recounting their childhood games.
My failure to enjoy the book more is rooted in my personal dissatisfaction with where my life has taken me and my regrets over lost opportunities and wasted potential. I can see objectively that the book is meant to evoke a pleasant nostalgia, but instead it made me sad.
I wonder if little Francie ever got an art career or a house of colored glass.
I bet she didn't.
June 24, 2009
I'm giving this book five stars because I was tearing up by the end of it! There was nothing really amazing about the style of writing, and yet the story itself (and the splendid illustrations) really struck a chord with me, resounding back to my own sense of play as a child and bringing forth a certain nostalgia... Even though I have my own dear home now, a "real" home, part of me still longs for the day when I would find stones and sticks and bits of this and that and craft my own little "house" in my own little corner of the wilderness in back of my childhood home. There was a satisfaction in that that nothing else on earth can match!
July 8, 2010
Ah, nostalgia! This book really got to me. I remember using a stick as a horse, a box or a table with blanket as a fort, and, with a group of other kids inventing all sorts of games (my childhood favorite we called chase). The fact that at the end of the book, there’s a note that indicates this is historical fiction: there was a Roxaboxen, a place where the author’s mother played. The fact that she turned her mother’s play activity years before into a book is just so cool, and also wonderful is that her aunt (who is mentioned by name in the story) accompanied her while she did research for the book.
The story captures perfectly how children can use their imaginations to create a rich and fully detailed play world.
The illustrations, in lovely desert hues, seem very authentic, and I really enjoyed them.
This is a quiet and rather simply told story, but kids of all generations (and adults with intact memories) are likely to feel a keen sense of recognition. The story with pictures is lovely and communicates a universal truth about childhood play. It’s really lovely.
The story captures perfectly how children can use their imaginations to create a rich and fully detailed play world.
The illustrations, in lovely desert hues, seem very authentic, and I really enjoyed them.
This is a quiet and rather simply told story, but kids of all generations (and adults with intact memories) are likely to feel a keen sense of recognition. The story with pictures is lovely and communicates a universal truth about childhood play. It’s really lovely.
July 14, 2009
My daughter liked this book enough to ask me to read it two times, but I'm the one who really likes it. It gives me sentimental chills. This nostalgic tale of childhood is something I could relate to, but my daughter could also relate to it quite well, which goes to show that as much as things have changed in the past generation, some universal truths of childhood never change.
January 9, 2020
This delightfully nostalgic tale really brought me back to my own childhood, when I constructed entire worlds in my imaginary play, with my own country (Arcania) that had its own language and history. The old carriage house in our back-yard was alternately a castle, a prison, or a mountain (I vividly recall the day I almost rolled off the roof, onto the jagged rocks beneath), while the little wooded area beside it was a forest, and the little valley with the tulip tree an elfin glen. Children, when left to their own devices - which, if it can be safely managed, I strongly believe should be done at least some of the time - have incredibly rich inner lives, and will use whatever materials and locations are to hand, in constructing those lives.
This is something that Alice McLerran, who based her story on a real neighborhood "playground" created by her mother, and her mother's sisters and friends, understands. Roxaboxen is a tribute to that disappeared playground - initially, just a local hill with a bunch of rocks and broken boxes on it - and to the many hours of enjoyment the neighborhood children got out of it, creating their own "town," with houses and shops. Who hasn't played "pretend pony," as the children do here? Or gone into business, and "set up shop?" These common childhood games are brilliantly captured here, both by McLerran's narrative, and by Barbara Cooney's appealing illustrations. Highly, highly recommended!
This is something that Alice McLerran, who based her story on a real neighborhood "playground" created by her mother, and her mother's sisters and friends, understands. Roxaboxen is a tribute to that disappeared playground - initially, just a local hill with a bunch of rocks and broken boxes on it - and to the many hours of enjoyment the neighborhood children got out of it, creating their own "town," with houses and shops. Who hasn't played "pretend pony," as the children do here? Or gone into business, and "set up shop?" These common childhood games are brilliantly captured here, both by McLerran's narrative, and by Barbara Cooney's appealing illustrations. Highly, highly recommended!
April 29, 2017
Wow! The memories this one brought back . . .
The empty lot across from my friend Linda's house, approaching dusk, we used sticks to outline the rooms of our "mansion," and milkweed pod "candles" to light the hallways. Chilly autumn air. Going into the warm house afterward to the smell of my mother baking my favorite cookies.
If I could have just one day to go back and do it all again . . .
The empty lot across from my friend Linda's house, approaching dusk, we used sticks to outline the rooms of our "mansion," and milkweed pod "candles" to light the hallways. Chilly autumn air. Going into the warm house afterward to the smell of my mother baking my favorite cookies.
If I could have just one day to go back and do it all again . . .
January 16, 2011
A few years ago I had my creative writing classes write a children's story, and since it had been 30 or so years since I'd picked up any sort of children's book, I enlisted my mom for help. An elementary teacher, she has her pulse on good books, book order books, etc. And she said, What about Roxaboxen? I can't even tell you how much I love this book. Whenever I read it, I cry. (Embarrassing when reading to a group of teenagers.) It's all the best of childhood in a slim picture book. A few weeks ago I was thinking about this book as a gift for a two-year-old. Are you kidding me, Borders? This book wasn't in stock but there were 700 Disney book titles. I began composing a blog post in my mind about what's wrong with the world, but eventually lost steam, and instead put my energy into this ode.
June 7, 2014
Wait what, have I never rated/reviewed this? *Gasp* This was pretty much my favorite book ever when I was a kid. It's really sweet and beautifully written/illustrated. It's still one of my favorite books to this day.
August 23, 2011
I always enjoy reading this to my class at the beginning of the year. It's about using your imagination to find a special place. I want our classroom to be a special place.
December 26, 2013
Imaginative play. Out-of-doors. I bet that only a small percentage of kids in today's world have the opportunity for such a wonderful experience. This story may give them some ideas for their own play. I don't read the last pages to the younger kids; it's not of interest to them. We end with:
"And so it went.
The seasons changed, and the years went by.
Roxaboxen was always there."
"And so it went.
The seasons changed, and the years went by.
Roxaboxen was always there."
March 14, 2018
March 2018 - I don't think I read this as a child, but maybe I did - either way, I loved making leaf houses just like the rock houses in the book. I love the way the story treats children's play so seriously, and the way the nostalgia in the story is for childhood itself, not for a particular time in the past. Ben was really engaged with the story and had lots of questions.
May 24, 2016
This is one of my favorite picture books of all time, mostly because I lived in a world just like Roxaboxen as a kid. :)
May 8, 2019
I loved this story about a group of children who create an imaginary city.
November 18, 2024
I picked this book up from the library because the title intrigued me, and I'm so glad we did!
This book is based on the true story of children from Yuma, Arizona. It's about an imaginary game they played.
We absolutely LOVED it!
This book is based on the true story of children from Yuma, Arizona. It's about an imaginary game they played.
We absolutely LOVED it!
December 9, 2010
Logan (age 6.5) liked this book (3 stars) and I absolutely loved it (5 stars); hence the 4 stars. I so enjoy Cooney's ilustrations in any book, and this is no exception. It's a simple story, without much action. A group of neighborhood kids in what looks to be the 1920s create a community they call Roxaboxen (no doubt from the fact that it's made up mostly of rocks and boxes) on a hill in their SW desert neighborhood. There are houses and stores (outlined in white rocks or "desert glass"), a mayor, money (round, black pebbles), wars, laws (you can be caught for speeding if you're driving, but not if you're riding a stick horse), and a cemetary. It's a celebration of the creativity and cooperation of kids. The games and rules are realistic because there really was a Roxaboxen in Yuma, Arizona and the text is based on stories the author's mother told about it. In fact, to research for her illustrations, Cooney travelled to what is left of Roxaboxen with McLerran's Aunt Frances, one of the original "Roxaboxenites," who was by then 80 years old. It's a good antidote for kids to see that play doesn't have to involve licensed characters or video or anything store-bought at all. A whole world is built from found objects and active imaginations.
January 24, 2014
Although this is a children's book I'm not placing it in my 'kids' shelf. It wasn't much of a kids story in my opinion. It was more of a 'memory' of an adult talking about using their imagination with their siblings and neighborhood friends. As youth they lived by the seashore, and they had a 'hill' where there were lots of seashells, rocks, etc. They used their imaginations and made a neighborhood and had adventures. Driving cars (which could be done with anything round for a steering wheel) riding horses (used sticks and anything could be used as a bridle) even at times having wars etc. I think the author had a beautiful idea but I just wouldn't put it as a child's book but more of a short story for an adult to read to help them remember their own special memories as a child. The book goes on and tells of the children grown up and going back and remembering about those memories. Again in my opinion wasn't written very well, although the idea is a pretty one story just was lacking... if this had been in a book with short stories to read as an adult I probably would have given it at least two stars if not three. but as a children's book it failed.
February 5, 2014
Roxaboxen was and still is one of my favourite children's books.
I was three when it was published, and have been reading it (or had it read to me) for as long as I remember.
Everything about this story captured and fueled my imagination: its wonderful reflective narrative; the beautiful, almost ghostly, artwork; the way it felt so true yet maintained a sense of wonder, that it seemed to fuse objective recall with the subjective magic of memories.
I always loved the way this book transported me and made me want my own Roxaboxen, as well as inspiring me to create such energy in my own world.
I am not sure whether all kids would love this book -- of course, nothing is liked by everyone -- but particularly for romantic and adventurous children, I could not recommend this book higher. It was a true gift for me, that has kept giving far beyond my early life.
I was three when it was published, and have been reading it (or had it read to me) for as long as I remember.
Everything about this story captured and fueled my imagination: its wonderful reflective narrative; the beautiful, almost ghostly, artwork; the way it felt so true yet maintained a sense of wonder, that it seemed to fuse objective recall with the subjective magic of memories.
I always loved the way this book transported me and made me want my own Roxaboxen, as well as inspiring me to create such energy in my own world.
I am not sure whether all kids would love this book -- of course, nothing is liked by everyone -- but particularly for romantic and adventurous children, I could not recommend this book higher. It was a true gift for me, that has kept giving far beyond my early life.
October 30, 2018
text to teaching connection: Roxaboxen was all about using your imagination to create something out of nothing. Or at least what seemed to be nothing to others. In this book Marian and friends used rocks, sand, sticks and other objects to make a whole little town called Roxaboxen. They even had jobs and acted like they rode on horses. Even as they aged, they all still remembered Roxaboxen and how much fun it was for them. A response activity that I would do is incorporate art into the lesson. I would have different materials for the class and allow them to work together to create their version of roxaboxen. it would be interesting to see what they design from the materials and I will also observe and assess them working together and what is being created. At the end they will explain what they designed and I would like for them to act out how things work in their version of Roxaboxen.
March 8, 2014
Everytime I read this, it juat brings me back to my childhood! Me and my brothers and cousins all grew up together, and out games turned out a lot like this. This was also my most favorite book as a kid. Whenever I saw it I would read it over and over and over again. It was to the point that in fourth or fifth grade I actually took it from our class bookshelf. My teacher never noticed (it kinda made me feel like a bad arse at the time) but eventually it faded and I couldn't remember what happened to it. I eventually forgot what it was called, but never forgot the story. Today I found it!! I am victorious!!!
March 1, 2010
Remember playing make-believe? With some sticks and some pebbles and a scrap of cloth, you could create whole worlds. That's what the children in Roxaboxen do: running wild in the desert--its fiery colors alive in Cooney's illustrations--they construct a village, a kingdom, a perfectly imperfect paradise. This is the book that really opened my mind to what the imagination can do. I can still close my eyes and see the desert glass glowing in the twilight.
August 1, 2014
Much like The Egypt Game, but written for a younger audience, this is a kid's picture book that harkens back to a time when kids used their imaginations to play games, rather than a computer program and game player. Decent illustrations. I did not love this book as much as my GR friends, Brigid and Nenia.
August 21, 2019
I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book that captured this time of childhood so well, written with exactly the important details that you almost had forgotten the importance of as an adult, but make it all come rushing back with joy. When Will read it to the kids he said it almost made him cry. Nostalgic, warm, and beautiful.
October 3, 2012
New favorite bedtime book. Favorite line read together: "In Roxaboxen you can eat all the ice cream you want."
August 21, 2020
Loved this little tale of a group of kids and their imaginative play.
April 18, 2012
A magical book ... for me, the parent! Evokes so many sensations, pictures, smells. The title page immediately took me to Anza Borrego Desert, a California State Park, at the foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains. This is where I first experienced the pittoresque ocotillo plants and other colorful cacti in bloom. Subsequent pages made my mind wonder out to New Mexico, Santa Fe, and suddenly I was thinking of Georgia O'Keeffe. It's not that Barbara Cooney's drawing style is all that similar, but the colors and the atmosphere certainly are. Every other page spread I had to pause my reading, take a big breath and just admire the illustrations, all of which I wanted to tear out of the book, frame and hang on my walls. This was the reason I grabbed our copy of Ox-Cart Man when I saw it at a library sale, and this probably applies to many of the books Cooney illustrated. I don't suppose her books are very popular any more, aside from maybe Miss Rumphius, and I'm honestly not sure how children see them, they seem to be from such a different time, different world.
And Roxaboxen may just be more of a book for adults than a book for children. And yet, it's not a book about growing up, it's a book about the timeless essence of being a child. It's about play, it's about freedom, friendship, creativity and imagination, and of the world we share with each other as children, but of which an adult can never be a part. And this may be why we parents love this book so much, it's about the precious childhood we all had, then lost and never will have again, except in our hearts ... and on the pages of this little picture book.
Of course I identified with this story, because we all had these games. Although my own backdrop, in my own little town, wasn't quite as dramatic and scenic as the site of Roxaboxen, in Yuma, Arizona. We had backyards, alleys, playgrounds, fields, and - worst of all - sometimes construction sites, to whose dangers and hazards we were completely oblivious. Summers were endless, days were long and filled with fantasies, explorations and earnest physical activities, all among peers. This exact sort of existence may be lost to most city children today, I do not know; we are so concerned with keeping them safe, this degree of freedom may be unfathomable. But our children will discover it in one form or the other, for sure.
So, while Roxaboxen will probably tickle your child's imagination, it is quite possible they won't love it half as dearly as you will. And they may not cry - like I did - when you reach the last page of the story. But that's okay. It's still a great book.
Now, about the pictures, I said that I would frame each and every one of them. I don't know how Barbara Cooney does it, but she must have spent day after day in the desert, drawing. Every page spread has its unique hue, unique color combination, each depicting a different time of of day, different time of the year, different weather. I can't laud the illustrations enough, they're simply amazing! What a keeper!
And Roxaboxen may just be more of a book for adults than a book for children. And yet, it's not a book about growing up, it's a book about the timeless essence of being a child. It's about play, it's about freedom, friendship, creativity and imagination, and of the world we share with each other as children, but of which an adult can never be a part. And this may be why we parents love this book so much, it's about the precious childhood we all had, then lost and never will have again, except in our hearts ... and on the pages of this little picture book.
Of course I identified with this story, because we all had these games. Although my own backdrop, in my own little town, wasn't quite as dramatic and scenic as the site of Roxaboxen, in Yuma, Arizona. We had backyards, alleys, playgrounds, fields, and - worst of all - sometimes construction sites, to whose dangers and hazards we were completely oblivious. Summers were endless, days were long and filled with fantasies, explorations and earnest physical activities, all among peers. This exact sort of existence may be lost to most city children today, I do not know; we are so concerned with keeping them safe, this degree of freedom may be unfathomable. But our children will discover it in one form or the other, for sure.
So, while Roxaboxen will probably tickle your child's imagination, it is quite possible they won't love it half as dearly as you will. And they may not cry - like I did - when you reach the last page of the story. But that's okay. It's still a great book.
Now, about the pictures, I said that I would frame each and every one of them. I don't know how Barbara Cooney does it, but she must have spent day after day in the desert, drawing. Every page spread has its unique hue, unique color combination, each depicting a different time of of day, different time of the year, different weather. I can't laud the illustrations enough, they're simply amazing! What a keeper!
November 8, 2020
Richie’s Picks: ROXABOXEN by Alice McLerran and Barbara Cooney, ill., William Morrow/Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1991, 32p., ISBN: 0-688-07592-4
“Our house is a very very very fine house”
-- Graham Nash (1970)
“Unstructured play allows children the freedom to explore, create and discover without predetermined rules or guidelines. It’s been shown to foster cognitive development while boosting physical development and social and emotional development. It specifically helps creativity and imagination, problem-solving abilities and social skills.”
-- from helpmegrowmn.org “Why Unstructured Play is Important to Child Development”
“The street between Roxaboxen and the houses curved like a river, so Marian named it the River Rhode. After that you had to ford a river to reach Roxaboxen.
Of course all of Marian’s sisters came: Anna May and Frances and little Jean.
Charles from next door, even though he was twelve,
Oh, and Eleanor, naturally, and Jamie with his brother Paul.
Later on there were others, but these were the first.
Well, not really the first.
Roxaboxen had always been there
and must have belonged to others, long before.”
Do you remember playing house or store in an empty appliance box? How about drawing twisting chalk-lined paths to follow in the street? Or imagining the one-time shack that is now just an outline of rotting wood in a vacant lot?
Children’s book author Barbara Cooney (1917-2000) is best remembered for writing and illustrating MISS RUMPHIUS (1982), for which she won a National Book Award; and for illustrating OX-CART MAN (1979) by Donald Hall, for which she won the Caldecott Medal. Both are not-to-be-missed classics.
But my favorite work of Barbara Cooney’s is ROXABOXEN, which was written by the late Alice McLerran
Roxaboxen was a real place. Thanks to the popularity of this book, that real place is now a public park--Roxaboxen Park in Yuma, Arizona.
Inspired by that place that once existed--when the author’s mother was young--the spirited tale of Roxaboxen is a marvel of creative play in which, across the street from their real houses, a bunch of kids transform undeveloped desert land into an imaginary play world. In order to do this, they utilize old wooden boxes, pieces of pottery, and desert glass. Large stones are used for outlining the streets and property lines, and long sticks become horses.
“Everyone had a car.
All you needed was something round for a steering wheel.
Of course, if you broke the speed limit you had to go to jail.
The jail had cactus on the floor to make it uncomfortable, and Jamie was the policeman.
Anna May, quiet little Anna May, was always speeding -- you’d think she liked to go to jail.”
ROXABOXEN is not your typical picture book for older readers--one containing sophisticated concepts and vocabulary. Nevertheless, the cooperative play and wonderfully complex imaginative-play scenarios depicted here will be equally of interest to many elementary school-aged children as well as to preschoolers.
ROXABOXEN, which I shared back then with my preschool students and my own children, and now read aloud to my grandchildren, is one that has remained a favorite of mine from one young generation to the next.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
“Our house is a very very very fine house”
-- Graham Nash (1970)
“Unstructured play allows children the freedom to explore, create and discover without predetermined rules or guidelines. It’s been shown to foster cognitive development while boosting physical development and social and emotional development. It specifically helps creativity and imagination, problem-solving abilities and social skills.”
-- from helpmegrowmn.org “Why Unstructured Play is Important to Child Development”
“The street between Roxaboxen and the houses curved like a river, so Marian named it the River Rhode. After that you had to ford a river to reach Roxaboxen.
Of course all of Marian’s sisters came: Anna May and Frances and little Jean.
Charles from next door, even though he was twelve,
Oh, and Eleanor, naturally, and Jamie with his brother Paul.
Later on there were others, but these were the first.
Well, not really the first.
Roxaboxen had always been there
and must have belonged to others, long before.”
Do you remember playing house or store in an empty appliance box? How about drawing twisting chalk-lined paths to follow in the street? Or imagining the one-time shack that is now just an outline of rotting wood in a vacant lot?
Children’s book author Barbara Cooney (1917-2000) is best remembered for writing and illustrating MISS RUMPHIUS (1982), for which she won a National Book Award; and for illustrating OX-CART MAN (1979) by Donald Hall, for which she won the Caldecott Medal. Both are not-to-be-missed classics.
But my favorite work of Barbara Cooney’s is ROXABOXEN, which was written by the late Alice McLerran
Roxaboxen was a real place. Thanks to the popularity of this book, that real place is now a public park--Roxaboxen Park in Yuma, Arizona.
Inspired by that place that once existed--when the author’s mother was young--the spirited tale of Roxaboxen is a marvel of creative play in which, across the street from their real houses, a bunch of kids transform undeveloped desert land into an imaginary play world. In order to do this, they utilize old wooden boxes, pieces of pottery, and desert glass. Large stones are used for outlining the streets and property lines, and long sticks become horses.
“Everyone had a car.
All you needed was something round for a steering wheel.
Of course, if you broke the speed limit you had to go to jail.
The jail had cactus on the floor to make it uncomfortable, and Jamie was the policeman.
Anna May, quiet little Anna May, was always speeding -- you’d think she liked to go to jail.”
ROXABOXEN is not your typical picture book for older readers--one containing sophisticated concepts and vocabulary. Nevertheless, the cooperative play and wonderfully complex imaginative-play scenarios depicted here will be equally of interest to many elementary school-aged children as well as to preschoolers.
ROXABOXEN, which I shared back then with my preschool students and my own children, and now read aloud to my grandchildren, is one that has remained a favorite of mine from one young generation to the next.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
April 3, 2014
Roxaboxen, by Alice McLerran, was a story that I enjoyed reading. It tells of an area across the street, where all the neighborhood kids played. They named the area "Roxaboxen." It was just like any rocky hill, filled with sand, rocks, and some wooden boxes. There, the neighborhood kids' imaginations were able to come out. They played there all the time, creating houses out of stones. They would make furniture out of the boxes, too. They eventually expanded their imaginative play into creating a town!
As you read this, you find yourself going back to your childhood, remembering all those fun times your imagination shined through your play. Roxaboxen surely seems like a fun place to play. The story continues as each child grows, but never forgets that fun place they played across the road. Some of those children even went back to the area because they thought of it often.
At the end of the book, it explains that this Roxaboxen area is a real place in Arizona. The author, Alice McLerran, wrote this book because it's what really happened to her mother. With the aid of her mother's childhood manuscript, the memories come alive in this book. You could use this book in a K-3 classroom. I would read it to my students before introducing ways that we could play. Perhaps doing a writing assignment on how you have played in ways this book explained.
As you read this, you find yourself going back to your childhood, remembering all those fun times your imagination shined through your play. Roxaboxen surely seems like a fun place to play. The story continues as each child grows, but never forgets that fun place they played across the road. Some of those children even went back to the area because they thought of it often.
At the end of the book, it explains that this Roxaboxen area is a real place in Arizona. The author, Alice McLerran, wrote this book because it's what really happened to her mother. With the aid of her mother's childhood manuscript, the memories come alive in this book. You could use this book in a K-3 classroom. I would read it to my students before introducing ways that we could play. Perhaps doing a writing assignment on how you have played in ways this book explained.
June 30, 2008
Children don't need toys. At least not the ones that come from stores. That's the message of this book.
The best toys and games are the ones that use the imagination. This little group of kids demonstrated this perfectly. This book reads like a memoir of their imaginative play, and it's not hard to believe that adults that had enjoyed this kind of ongoing pretend for so long would remember well, decades later, all of its contours and particulars.
The best toys and games are the ones that use the imagination. This little group of kids demonstrated this perfectly. This book reads like a memoir of their imaginative play, and it's not hard to believe that adults that had enjoyed this kind of ongoing pretend for so long would remember well, decades later, all of its contours and particulars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 457 reviews