Harry's Box

by Angela McAllister, Jenny M. Jones

Harry has helped his mother with the shopping:packing groceries in a box at the supermarket, and then unpacking it at home. She rewards him with the box once it's empty, and with it he and his faithful hound Wolfie spend an afternoon braving high seas and discovering undersea worlds, without ever going farther than their own backyard. In this charming and beautifully illustrated picture book, readers will enjoy Harry and Wolfie's fantastic adventures. The best toys need only a little imagination to bring them to life.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 4, 2003

About the author

Angela McAllister is an award- winning author of over eighty books for children, including picture books, junior fiction, non-fiction and novels. Her work has been adapted for the stage and is widely used in schools. It has been translated into more than twenty languages. She lives in the south of England.

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

rating: 2.5
I like the idea, but the art and the style, ... not so much, which is too bad since I usually like books that demonstrate imaginative play.

[Jaelyn Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating-5/5, copyright-2003, themes- imagination, friendship, companionship, pirates, kings and queens
This was such a cute book, I loved all the imagination in it. This has been one of my favorite books to read, because The amazing illustrations really brought the book to life, and it allows children to fantasize about all the things Harry is doing. This would be a great book to read to young children, just as a fun book, it can teach them to have fun. My favorite part of the book was when Harry turned himself into the king, and his mother brought his favorite cookies. I thought it was a cute little way to end the book!

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little picture book for the young reader here showing the value of imagination and what worlds can be created with just a box. Harkens back to a time before electronic gadgets and ,making your own adventures.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finishing the chores, Harry and his dog have a great time playing with a box that becomes a pirate ship, a lion's cave, a grocery store, a castle, etc. A fun story about imagination. A good group read aloud!

[Britt Kitko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Harry gets a box from his mother that he can play with. He uses his imagination to create a new place when he moves it throughout the house. In the kitchen it is a shop, when placed outside it became a lion's den. In the end, the box becomes a bed where he dreams about his daily adventure.

Audience:
- Reading level- Late emergent- Pictures tell the story
- Genre- Young Fiction
- Topic-Imaginary World

Curricular uses: Independent reading-Reader could read the story through the pictures to help them with the text, Read Aloud- Use before having studens create something big out of small idea and using their magination

Social Issues: Getting along, friendship

Literary elements: Flat characters, third person objective, imaginary world theme,

Interactions and counteractions of text and image: Text and image interactions are crucial in this book. Harry imagines that the box becomes something and the illustrations show it in elaborate detail with the boy within it. This interaction would greatly benefit young readers.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

After Harry obligingly helps his mother shop and unload the groceries she gives him the box used to tote them. He happily spends the afternoon moving the box from room to room and having imaginary adventures at each station. The box becomes a shop, a cave, a ship, and a castle.

The children attending story time thoroughly enjoyed this story.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy and his dog spend an afternoon playing with a cardboard box and imagining that it has become all sorts of exciting things.

[Nancy]

Great book for sequencing and vivid images.