Boxitects

by Kim Smith

A STEAM-centered, adorably illustrated picture book about Meg, a brilliant and creative boxitect who creates extraordinary things out of ordinary cardboard boxes.

Genres: Picture Books, Stem, Childrens, Friendship, School, Science, Art

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 14, 2020

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an okay story about competition between two rivals. It also encourages kids to try their hand at building things with cardboard boxes.

Meg is a boxitect, meaning that she likes to build things with cardboard boxes. Her mother, seeing her talent, sends her to Maker School. Meg is the only boxitect there among the blanketeers, spaghetti-tects, tin-foilers, and egg-cartoneers... for a while. Then Simone shows up, and the battle of the boxitects begins. On the day of the Maker Match, when they're supposed to be working together, they're actually competing with one another. Eventually, their creation, weighed down by ridiculous amounts of cardboard, collapses. The girls have to think fast and work together to salvage their project.

The story is okay, although I don't know if it's a good idea to be teaching kids there's such a thing as "Maker School"; it sounds totally fun, and some readers are bound to be disappointed to find out it's not real. There are some instructions at the back for building a couple of cardboard projects, as well as a simple experiment that shows kids how corrugated cardboard gets its strength (unfortunately, the pictures show Meg holding the paper the wrong way, so it's not going to work; she needs to turn it 90 degrees).

This book might find an audience among kids who already like to make things. I probably would've liked it when I was little... although I would've been disappointed to find out I wouldn't be going to Maker School.

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for my toddler’s nap time. Super cute story about kids building structures out of blankets, noodles, cardboard boxes, etc. Meg was good at building structures out of cardboard boxes so her parents sent her to a Makers school. There she met her rival and later learned how to teamwork.

Read from kindle unlimited.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot that was cool about this book, I guess it just made me want it to be amazing all the way through. I loved the concept of boxitects and the creative school so much! But I really wished there was some kind of guidance for children on HOW to work together instead of just 'they realized they had to work together'.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two children vie for who is the best boxitect in the Maker Match, and, sadly, that leads to disaster. It is only when they begin to work together that they can come up with a workable solution to the challenge. And, in the process, they become friends.

[Skyla Thompson]

This book is about a little girl named Meg who is a boxitect, someone who builds things out of boxes. Her mom sends her to a maker school where she will be able to build anything her heart desires. When she firsts arrives she is the only boxitect there, but a little girl named Simon soon joins the school and is a boxitect as well. They do not get along. When the annual competition comes around the teams must work together to build something but Simone and meg do not work together. The build two huge inventions that end up collapsing on everyone. After that they get together ad call a truce. They then work together to build something incredible.
This book talks about the importance of team work. If you think you can do it all alone you are wrong and they soon figure that out in the story. Having someone there to help is always important in a child’s life, whether it a friend, parent, teacher etc.

[BreeAnn (She Just Loves Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I Loved:
If you have kids, you know that a cardboard box is like Christmas…I guess that is true of cats too HAHA! Boxitects takes that fun, imaginative play and turns it into a wonderful story. I loved that there were not just Boxitects in this story, but many different types of builders. It was a great idea for a book and I loved reading it with my kids.

How I Felt:
Boxitects is a story about Meg, a young “boxitect” which is a builder of things with boxes. She starts a new school called the Maker School. She meets other children that are also builders, but using blankets, egg cartons, tin foil, and even noodles! She is the only boxitect though. I really appreciated how Meg is introduced to others like her, and yet they all have their own niche. It was fun to learn about these different builders.

The illustrations were really great. We spent a lot of time checking out all the awesome creations that Meg built. I found that this book sparked so much creativity in my kids. The back of the book has a “How To” section with step-by-step instructions for building your own Boxitect creations. This was such a great addition!

This was an adorable story and what pushed it from a 4 to 5 star for me was the conflict. Meg was the only Boxitect until Simone starts Maker School too. All of a sudden Meg feels competitive. Simone isn’t very nice Meg and Meg isn’t nice in return. Then, they are paired together in a teamwork competition and things do not go well. The story did an EXCELLENT job of showing what happens when people try to reach the same end-goal and don’t work together. The girls end up building two separate things connected at the bottom, but it becomes a terrible problem for them with results that come crashing down.

This was my favorite part of the book. I found it to be impactful for my kids. There were lots of Oh No’s! leading up to this. Boxitects then shows our young readers how working together can create wonderful results as Meg and Simone find that they can be friends and both be Boxitects.

Overall, this was a super cute story with detailed, fun illustrations and a solid story. The creative aspect of the story was great for kids and the lesson on working together was perfect.

To Read or Not To Read:
Boxitects is a great book for preschool to middle elementary school children. With a STEAM-centered plot, this would be great for a school or library, but it’s perfect for at home too.

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

My review will post to my blog on 2/19/20. All of my reviews can be found at: https://shejustlovesbooks.com/

[Renn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meg is a talented boxitect, her box creations are unlike any other. When her mom sends her to Maker School she learns how to make her structures useful, strong, and beautiful. There’s only one problem: Simone. Simone is the new girl, a talented boxitect like Meg. But instead of working together, they are rivals. But when Maker School announces a Maker competition, Meg and Simone are forced to be partners. When disaster strikes, can Meg and Simone finally get along?

This is such a cute book omg! I love the art, I love the premise, and I love the celebration of children’s creativity. I’m glad that Boxitects is out in the world.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meg is a boxitect...she builds things out of boxes and her creativity is impressive. But then Simone comes along...and she is also a boxitect and her creativity might just rival or even exceed Meg's. When they must work together for the annual Maker Match, it is more of a competition between them than a cooperative effort. And competition doesn't always lead to the best results....

This could be used to discuss cooperation and teamwork, engineering, creativity, and how failure can lead us closer to success.

[FM Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

My almost 4 year old REALLY enjoyed this one and requests to read it over and over and then flips through the pictures herself at bedtime. It's got a lot of great components, imagination, some competition, creative structures, stuff collapsing, working together. A great STEM book that avoids being didactic, but still has endpages that show how to build various things out of boxes. Liked that it features characters of colour and even though the author is white I felt like it worked because the story isn't about culture its just about building stuff.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I previewed this book for our School Reading Raiders Book club...wonderful! Many great ideas for creating out of cardboard...told in story format. The kids loved it. It is definitely a book I will use again for our children's book club! The kids and their parent helpers created some masterpiece cardboard works of art...from school buses to bird houses. A great night!

[Teacher Librarian Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for introducing the concept of makerspaces, building and creating. Tackles the common problem of children not wanting to work together, showing them what can happen when they refuse to cooperate and when they do.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story to learn about sharing/ collaboration

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to find a more perfect library read aloud + lesson/program!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you have a child who loves to tinker, create, and build? Or, are you looking for ways to inspire your children to upcycle all the boxes from online purchases from the last few months? Either way, you're going to want to check out Boxitects by Kim Smith for your builders or builders-to-be, as it's fully of both creative and teamwork inspiration!
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Meet Meg, a "boxitect." Yes, that's right, a boxitect, as in one who loves "to make things out of boxes." In fact, she loves her cardboard creations so mucht hat her mom enrolls her in Maker School, where she'll create with makers of all kinds. As the only boxitect in her class, she feels pretty darn special and learns to build useful, strong, and beautiful structures... Until Simone, another boxitect, shows up. From the first moment in class together, Meg and Simone feel a strong rivarly, pointing out flaws in each other's creations. Then comes the Maker Match, a competition to build the most amazing thing with only one rule -- you had to work with your team of like-minded builders, so Meg and Simone are forced to work together. Will they be able to cooperate enough to have a structure for the contest? You'll have to wait and see!
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Y'all, Boxitects has just about everything one might hope for! From the diverse characters, to girls in STEM, to creative inspiration out the wazoo, to important teamwork and collaboration messages, to the bright and inviting illustrations, you are going to love this book. And, to add to that list, be sure to check out the end matter, as Smith also includes terrific information about cardboard, boxitects, and building your own Boxitect Castle!
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If you liked Boxitects, check out:
* If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen
* Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts
* Not a Box by Antionette Portis
* Cardboard Creations by Barbara Rucci (for parents)

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meg loves to create and build, and boxes are her favorite medium. From tiny house to marvelous castles, she loves her self-appointed role as "Boxitect."

Her mom is very proud of her skills and decides Meg should expand them by attending Maker School. There, she meets other kids who also love to create things out of various items such as blankets, tin-foil, and egg cartons. She is nervous at first, but soon discovers ways to make her projects even more useful and solid and appealing. She also loves that she is the ONLY Boxitect at the school.

Then one day, a new student shows up who is also a Boxitect! And she starts making things Meg has never even thought of! And she seems a bit bossy! A bit of conflict and jealousy soon emerge between the pair. Will the girls learn how to work together in time to create something for the 5th Annual Maker Match? It’s not looking like it! There is a lot of arguing and competition going on between the girls and it ends up causing quite a scene. The clock is running and readers will follow along and find out if the girls can learn how to work as a team before it’s too late.

Kids will find this book fascinating and inspiring, and it offers a wonderful lesson in teamwork. In addition, there are some great instructions and projects at the end of the book so readers can learn how to become a Boxitect themselves. You can expect that your child will be on the hunt for some boxes and masking tape after they read this, so be prepared to have some fun!

Mary Jo N. / Marathon County Public Library

[Pine Reads Review]

“At Maker School there were blanketeers, spaghetti-tects, tin-foilers, and egg-cartoneers. There was almost any kind of maker you could imagine! But Meg was the class’s first boxitect, and that made her feel special.”

Meg is a boxitect who can make boxes into anything. When her mom sends her to Maker School, Meg is thrilled to find a place she can fit in—but also be one-of-a-kind. Until Simone shows up. Simone is another boxitect, but she has very different ideas than Meg. When the annual Maker Match is held to see who can make the most amazing thing, Meg and Simone will do anything to win—except work together. But when disaster strikes, they must find a way to join creative forces if they want to complete the contest in time.

Kim Smith’s brilliant picture book Boxitects celebrates creativity like no other picture book I’ve read! Children are famous for seeing potential in the most mundane things, and this story explores that concept in such an imaginative way. I wish I’d had the chance to be a boxitect or a blanketeer when I was little! The detailed and colorful illustrations truly bring the world of the story to life, and I especially love the inclusion of instructions for how to build a boxitect tunnel and castle in the back of the book. With such a fun story and magnificent illustrations, this is a book that kids will beg to read again and again!

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[Jayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A “Boxitect” is a child that loves to construct remarkable creations out of boxes. I was drawn into the story just by the boxitect idea. Boxitects by Kim Smith is a fantasy and science fiction book for children ages four through eight. As STEAM continues to evolve into an industry for children to access at a young age, I recommend this read as an introduction. This book has a STEAM background, but it also has an emphasis on collaboration and friendship. Meg (main character) is a Boxitect that enrolls in maker school, where she is the only boxitect until her newest rival, Simone, joins the school. The two girls engage through means of competition, which eventually turns into a catastrophe that builds camaraderie.

In my opinion, this picture book resembles a comic book with a great deal of expansive vocabulary for children to take advantage of. Furthermore, the illustrations are super quirky, amusing, textural, and colorful. Also, I enjoyed the images having texture that supported each sentence rather than the entire page. Therefore, I must give this book a five-star rating because it is perfect for the generation it is intended for. I always say that the younger generation is forced into competition due to social media, so I think this book teaches a viable lesson about teamwork and how individuals of the same sort can make that very thing more extraordinary together. Lastly, as an educator or parent, I would use this book in an Art or Science lesson where children get the opportunity to build a fun structure using a box.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boxitects was a really cute and artistically inspiring book. It follows Meg who is a young girl who loves to build things out of boxes! She loves it so much that her mother signs her up for a local Maker School where there are many other kids who are all talented in their own crafts including building structures out of blankets, pasta, tinfoil, and egg cartons, but no one was building with boxes until Meg showed up. Then one day competition showed up. Her name was Simone and she was also a Boxitect, a builder of boxes. The two girls were constantly pointing out what they thought was wrong with the other’s project and how it could be improved. At the end of the class, a contest was announced! Unfortunately to enter you needed a partner. Meg and Simone entered together but couldn't agree on an idea. They each built their own structure and kept adding to it and improving it until they were both towering over everything. Then the unthinkable happened! Both of their structures collapsed! Will Meg and Simone come together to make an entry for the contest or is it already too late?

I really enjoyed this book. It has nice artwork and introduced me to the word “Boxitect!” I also really liked that there were ideas for box projects in the back of the book. A great book to read to get inspired for creative hands-on building activities!

[Stefanie Pick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story for the idea of STEM but it just doesn't follow the 4Cs of STEM: creativity, communication, critical thinking, and collaboration. Meg is a little girl who loves to create with the use of boxes. Her mother sends her to Maker School to let her creativity shine. I enjoyed the introduction of each child's strength: blanketeers, spaghettie-tects, tim-foilers, egg-cartoneers, bake-ologists, and Meg, the first boxitect. Everything is fine until another boxitect joins the school. The story then turns into a competition between the two and how they try to one up each other. It is only when they are forced to work together and their creation fails, that they decide to communicate and collaborate the way they should have done in the beginning.

I appreciate the ending of the stoy ending on a good note. The last few pages give guided STEM experiments and projects that would be fun to work with students. The illustrations are cute, bright, and detailed enough for children to know exactly what is going on in the story. I believe this book would open up a great discussion of "What should they have done?" or "What is a better way to handle that situation?". I will be adding this to my classroom library.

[Margaret]

Given the opportunity children, in their infinite wisdom, inventiveness and openness, will amaze you. It's a joy to see how they can create something marvelous from nearly nothing. Fortunately for the world, they think outside the box. Not only do they think outside the box, but give them a box, any size of box, and what they do with it is extraordinary.

Their first thought is not to cut up and flatten a box for recycling. Their first thought is what can I make with this box. To them the possibilities are limitless. In her first book as both author and illustrator, Boxitects (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, January 14, 2020), Kim Smith introduces readers to Meg, a genius at using boxes to build anything her heart desires.


My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Juliana Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meg and Simone use boxes to build things. But they need to learn how to work together if they want to win the 5th Annual Maker Match. They are so competitive that each one plans their own construction bigger, taller, wider, than the other until finally the whole mess collapses to the floor. With only a few minutes left in the competition, Meg and Simone agree to use the best pieces of each one's building to make something together. Meg and Simone did not win the Maker Match, but they did learn to build a new friendship. (Other constructions include pasta building, cake building, and blanket/pillow building.) Backmatter shows the reader how cardboard is so extraordinary and step by step directions on how to build a tunnel and a castle.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story all about learning how to work together and becoming friends even when you have differences (or maybe even similarities).

When two "boxitects" are put in the same classroom, rivalry follows. One makes cute, pretty houses out of boxes while the other makes mechanical things like planes, trains, and rockets. Both are talented but... they don't get along very well. When the school holds a contest, the two will have to put aside their rivalry and mesh their ideas together to become a good team.

There was nothing too surprising in the story-- the pictures were adorable though! I'd say that was the strongest thing about the book. Cute and fun with a good little message. Three stars!

[R. Condon]

Meg is a genius boxitect (that’s an architect that works with boxes, of course) whose inventive creations convince her mother to send Meg to a Maker School! Maker School is full of kids who use a variety of materials to build, such as blankets, tin foil, pasta, and more! But Meg is the only boxitect, until Simone joins the class. An intense rivalry quickly forms between the two boxitects and comes to a boiling point when they are forced to work together on a project. When going it alone has disastrous results, can Meg and Simone set aside their creative differences to build something that is more than the sum of its parts? Boxitects is a lovely story of learning to share the spotlight, valuing differences, and building friendships.

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meg is a new student at the Maker School and she is their very first boxitect. She is able to create large and fun creations all out of boxes. Soon though the school gets a new student Simone who is also a boxitect. Soon the girls are competing with each other instead of working together. It is not until their final project that they are supposed to be collaborating on collapses that the girls learn to work together and become friends. This is a title that encourages making (several projects are listed at the back) and how working as a team will always create the best work. I would recommend the bright and colorful book for most picture book collections.

[Morgan Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a young girl named Meg, who is very talented at creating things out of boxes. When she joins a new school called Maker School, she is the only one who calls herself a "Boxitect" until Simone comes along. They get in many arguments and fight about whose creation needs more work. In the end, there is a competition, and they create something amazing by working together and they become friends. They do not win the competition, but they do learn how to work on a team, and they gain the gift of friendship. I would use this story in my classroom to teach about friendship, the power of play, sharing, and teamwork. We could also do a makerspace STEM activity that goes along with the theme of this book.

[Barbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meg was a Maker, and her material of choice was boxes. When new student Simone appeared Meg was amazed at how good a builder she was. At the annual maker match they teamed up to build a cardboard creation to rival all but they couldn't agree on anything. Each decided to build their own with disastrous results. Of course in the end they learned it was better to be a team, to share ideas and that winning wasn't everything. With maker spaces in libraries and popping up everywhere this book encourages children to be creative and cooperative.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book for a STEM day/storytime/activity/ etc! In fact, on days when libraries do "cardboard challenges," I think this should be read first! (I also think it should have been a CLEL bell for "Play" but that's just me ;))

Meg is the main character, following a current trend of having a female character in STEM fields. I don't think we should beat readers over the head with "look at what a girl can do" messaging, but this book doesn't do that. It more encourages the usage of imagination on MANY fronts which I think readers will appreciate.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 3-year-old is a natural builder, so I picked this up for her and she really enjoyed it. I love the STEAM focus and the illustrations and diversity of the characters are awesome. There are little things I don't love, like a repeated focus on brilliance (instead of being innovative or hard-working, etc.), and an instantaneous rivalry between two girls with similar interests didn't sit well with me. But I think parents can edit a bit for younger kids to smooth some of that out while enjoying the great visual story.

[Jared White · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pictures in this are adorable and it is a good message (learning to work together so as to make something more wonderful than you could make on your own) and maybe this is weird but I think the pictures might make kids have unattainable expectations as to what they can create with cardboard. For instance, in a few pictures the dog or the human characters are on the second or third story of a box creation but if a kid were to really try that, the structure would collapse...but maybe it will help inspire some wonderful creations!

[Hannah Peddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named Meg who loves to build. She discovers the meaning of working together and understanding that there can be more than one way to make something amazing. I would use this book in my classroom library (in fact I am using it as a read aloud for my clinicals) , or use it to incorporate STEAM in the classroom. I really liked how this book shows girls, especially girls of color, in a role that is typically occupied by boys. I think the theme of working together and not everything is a competition, is great for younger kids who have a very competitive nature.