The Secret Box

This wordless picture book was very interesting and will get students to stop and think. It tells the story of a boy putting something in one of the floorboards of a house. Then it shows many years pass and what happens to the house and the city. One day three boys find the loose floorboard the box with all the secrets in it. There are old pictures, a map, a postcard, ripped tickets, and a coin in the secret box. The boys run away from the house for a little to go on an adventure, following the map they found. They find the secret passage and run together through it. It leads to where the postcard was from- an amusement park called Seahorse Pier right on the beach. The boys follow this mysterious boy that had hidden the secret box up the building that is the entrance for the Pier. They find that when they get to the top that there are other kids there reading, eating, and hanging out. It then fast forwards to the future when two other kids find the same map and pictures. They too go looking for an adventure. 

I thought this book was interesting. I feel that students, especially the boys would enjoy it. It includes a lot of diversity that is shown through the pictures, helping to build a multicultural and diverse classroom. This book is good for students because it allows them to use their imagination and lets them be the interpreter of the story. Teachers could use this book to explain how places change over time. In the book, it shows how the same city grew and changed. The book also hit on the fact that the place may change what it looks like, but children still enjoy adventure. I could have my own students on day look on the inside cover and tell me what they think the inside cover is telling us about the book. I would ask them what they see and what they think it all means. Lastly, I would want my own students to create their own secret boxes. They could put important items in their box that represents themselves. This could lead the students to do some sort of a time capsule project as a class together. Students would include items from the class that represent who they are and things that they are learning. This would be a fun activity to do in the beginning of the year. At the end of the year, the students could open the time capsule to remember what they put in and see if they would add anything else. This was a fun book that students would enjoy and really put their imagination to work. 

The Secret Box

Author: Barbara Lehman 

Year Published: 2011