Not a Box  by Antoinette Portis  (2006)    

   also available in Spanish: No es una Caja

  A simple black and white line drawing of a bunny sitting in a box.  "Why are you sitting in a box?" asks an unseen grown-up.  We turn the page and the bunny answers "It's not a box," and now we see a race car drawn in red over the bunny in box picture.  The bunny is imagining he is a driver and the box is his race car!  Using this simple technique, we see the bunny as a mountain climber, a fire fighter, a robot, and more.  Sparse words encourage dialogic reading as you talk about what the bunny is doing and thinking.  This book is not only charming, but offers an opportunity to highlight the importance of imaginative play in a child's development of narrative skills, plus self regulation.  Parent message:  "Imaginative play with really simple toys like boxes helps develop narrative skills because your child is in charge of developing and acting out the story.  It also helps develop self regulation, which is the ability to control your emotions and behavior and resist impulses - very important for growing up!  As your child acts out the story they need to maintain that picture in their mind for a long time, problem solve, and manage their feelings.  So don't worry about the latest Leapster, the best toys for enriching the minds of young children are still plain cardboard boxes!" 

- Karen McElravy