The Birthday Box

Leslie Patricelli Board Books

by Leslie Patricelli

Celebrate the unlimited potential of an empty box! A picture book that doubles as the perfect present for preschoolers.

What’s better than getting a brand-new toy as a birthday gift? Playing with the box it came in! Climb in for a flight across the ocean, a jaunt on a sailing ship, some sledding down a slippery slope, and, of course, a brief stint as a robot. Good thing the toy dog that came inside the box is happy to come along for the ride! The inimitable Leslie Patricelli draws from the well of parental wit and wisdom for her very first picture book adventure, starring everyone’s favorite baby character.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Childrens, Dogs, Fiction, Adventure, Holiday

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 13, 2007

About the author

Leslie Patricelli is the American writer and illustrator of the best selling line of toddler books, starring her inimitable Baby character, including Potty, Toot, Yummy Yucky, Big Little, and Hair. She has more than 30 books for children, including her preschool books, Higher! Higher! (a Boston Globe Book Honor Award winner), Be Quiet, Mike!, Faster! Faster! and The Patterson Puppies and the Midnight Monster Party; as well as a middle-grade novel, The Rizzlerunk Club: Best Buds Under Frogs, published in 2018. Leslie Patricelli grew up in Issaquah, Washington close to Pine Lake. Leslie Patricelli majored in Communications at the University of Washington and took classes at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle. Leslie Patricelli created and animated Rover the Dog for Windows XP help installed on more than 60 million computers worldwide.

Reviews

[Archit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who would not love to get a box on their birthday which can be used to sleep and snuggle and play!

This board book is full of cute illustrations and fun.

[April Thompson Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect representation of every kid that has ever gotten a present.. They are enthralled with the box! I myself had the pleasure of owning a refrigerator box that I turned into a lovely cottage around the age of five. Thanks Uncle Luby!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leslie Patricelli makes excellent books for toddlers and this is no exception.

Read for birthday themed toddler storytime in January 2019.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple celebration of the joys of a box. Lots of imagination and excitement when a young boy receives a puppy for his birthday, but is more interested in playing with the box it came in. Are any of us parents surprised? No, of course not. The story is signature Leslie Patricelli: colorful illustrations and simple text. This is a fantastic group read aloud for toddlers!

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not my favorite Leslie Patricellli book, but it's cute.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ode to boxes as tools to inspire the imagination. Not sure how old this tot is, but I can tell this library book is well-loved (often used or circulated)!

I can't quite give it four stars, because I would recommend instead Not a Box, Not a Stick, and Christina Katerina & the Box instead.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all the Patricelli board books. They're fun for both the adult reader and the baby listener/looker.
This little book celebrates birthdays (be sure to sing "happy birthday, dear baby" and pretend your finger is a candle and "blow it out" and pretend to tear gift wrap off a box), boxes, and imagination.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book. I read it with a group of two-year-olds and their caregivers. For that group, it was not quite as much fun as "Not a Box" by Portis, but it was still a very good fit, and I personally really enjoyed the book. The ending is especially sweet, and the illustrations really add to the fun flavor of the book.

[Andrés · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the simple joy of unboxing a…box. However, I am very confused by the puppy. At first I thought it was real, but then I figured it must be a stuffie. At least, I’d prefer that’s the case. It should be more clear, or a different gift, because a real puppy sets some extreme expectations for presents!

[Libby Burak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book because it shows where imagination can take a child. However there is a young kid so the grammar isn't always correct, which is ok but if reading to students I think it is important to show them correct grammar.

[kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

another cute one from Patricelli!

[Shauna Ludlow Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this fun adventure book! Most little kids wants to play with the box or wrapping g paper instead of the gift inside.

Sturdy board book with cute illustrations and text.

[Milton Louie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun with a box! B

[Kai Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book that demonstrates the wonders of a simple cardboard box.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and simple on the joys of playing pretend.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A toddler gets a box for its birthday and imagines all the things it can be. Creative and simple. Preschool and up

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so adorable. My only complaint is a puppy is not a good present! I'm hoping there's some imagination- or at least parental approval!- involved.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! You can’t help but share this kid’s joy in simple, sweet things. I’m excited to read the Spanish version too.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, cute, colorful. Wonderful!

[Colorado Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Play. Imagination. Birthday. Dogs. Pets. Napping. All with a box.

[FELICIA JACKSON · Rating 3 out of 5]

So nice

[Abbey]

Birthday theme

[Therese Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

How much fun is a box?

Yep, sometimes 1000x more fun than whatever was inside it.

This books brings that kind of fun!!

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a baby's birthday and s/he gets a present. "It's a box." S/he stands on it, hugs it, hides behind it... Something's in it. A doggy. They get in the box and have some adventures. The story ends by eating birthday cake in it and then taking a nap in the box.

One little girl was quite taken with it and took it to look at. 1/16/13

Had a fan for PJ Story Time so I read this to keep her off the ELC. 1/20/15

Used again for lap time and it went over well with children, (one toddler was so excited she kept standing up whenever I turned the page) and caregivers (several snickers). 1/12/15

Used again for birthday lap time program

Used in Baby/Toddler Birthday Story Times

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

An imaginative young child has a wonderful time playing with a box he receives for his birthday. What's better than getting a brand-new toy as a birthday gift? Playing with the box it came in! Climb in for a flight across the ocean, a jaunt on a sailing ship, some sledding down a slippery slope, and, of course, a brief stint as a robot. Good thing the toy dog that came inside the box is happy to come along for the ride! The inimitable Leslie Patricelli draws from the well of parental wit and wisdom for her very first picture book adventure, starring everyone's favorite baby character.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since the Stanislaus County Library system was celebrating 100 years this year, the theme of this year's Día de los Ninos/Día de los Libros celebration was birthdays . A co-worker and I performed a special bilingual story time in which we acted out all of the stories and used fun props. My co-worker and I did this story in English. She was the baby, and I played the dog (I also handed my co-worker other props).

In this story, a little boy gets a special gift and imagines all kinds of fun things he can do with the gift. It's very cute!

[Adriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

"An imaginative young child has a wonderful time playing with a box he receives for his birthday. What's better than getting a brand-new toy as a birthday gift? Playing with the box it came in! Climb in for a flight across the ocean, a jaunt on a sailing ship, some sledding down a slippery slope, and, of course, a brief stint as a robot. Good thing the toy dog that came inside the box is happy to come along for the ride! The inimitable Leslie Patricelli draws from the well of parental wit and wisdom for her very first picture book adventure, starring everyone's favorite baby character."

[Destiny Dawn Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this from the library on my daughter's birthday, because one of her favorite toys is a big cardboard box. So it seemed appropriate.

It was a cute little story and I could relate to the sentiment behind it. It shows kids how a simple object can become many things through the power of imagination. And if your kid has read other Patricelli books before, they'll be familiar with the main character.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the fact that the little boy got more joy out of the box his toy came in than the toy that he actually received. This book shows how big the imaginations are of little children. I really enjoyed how the author used the little boy as the narrator so the reader understood the true enjoyment the boy got out of the box.

[Elizabeth K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thing I liked the most about this is that it's the classic notion that the box is the exciting part of the gift, but in this story, the toy (see below) in the box is also incorporated in the fun.

The big debate in our house: is the puppy a real dog, or a toy? I say it's a toy, because you wouldn't wrap a real dog like a gift. Plus, I think it looks like a toy.