Not a Box

Summary

In Not a Box, a rabbit insists that the cardboard box it’s playing with is not a box. To the rabbit, it is a racecar, a rocket ship, a robot, a mountain, and more. Through repetition, spare drawings, and childlike humor, the book shows how imagination transforms ordinary objects into extraordinary possibilities. The story invites readers to think about how we define things, how imagination influences reality, and whether something can be more than it first appears.

Guidelines for Discussion

Not a Box opens space for children to wonder about imagination, perception, and reality in ways that feel playful and accessible. The central puzzle—that the rabbit has a box, but insists it is not a box—creates an opening to ask what makes something what it is. For younger children, this can mean talking about whether the rabbit’s rocket ship is “real” or just pretend. Facilitators do not need to settle this question with a clear answer; the aim is to let children explore what “real” can mean, and to encourage them to explain why they think as they do.

One fruitful theme is the power of imagination. The rabbit refuses to see the box as only a box, and this insistence encourages children to think about whether imagination changes how we experience the world. A good way to guide the discussion is to ask whether imagining something makes it real in some sense. Some students may say “yes, because it feels real while you play,” while others may insist “no, because it is still a box.” Rather than deciding who is right, a facilitator can highlight how both views capture something important: imagination doesn’t replace reality, but it adds another layer of meaning to it.

The story also encourages questions about perception and interpretation. Who decides what something really is? Is the box “just” cardboard because that’s what adults say, or is it also a rocket ship because the rabbit treats it that way? Children may disagree strongly on this point, and disagreement is useful: it shows them that objects can have different meanings depending on how we use them. Here the facilitator’s role is simply to press gently: “What makes you think that?” or “Can something be two things at once?” These prompts show children that philosophy is about exploring reasons, not finding one correct answer.

Finally, the book highlights why imagination itself matters. By turning a plain box into a mountain or a racecar, the rabbit is not denying what the box is but expanding what it can be. Children can connect this to their own lives by recalling times when they pretended something ordinary was something else. Asking whether that made their play less real or more meaningful helps them see that imagination shapes their experience just as much as facts do. For facilitators without a background in philosophy, the key is to stay close to the story and children’s experiences, always tying abstract ideas back to the concrete play of the rabbit and their own examples.

Discussion Questions

Imagination and Reality

1. What makes a box “not a box”?
2. If you imagine something, does it become real? How real can it be?
3. Are Rabbit’s imagined things real in any way? Why or why not?

Perception and Interpretation

1. Who decides what something is?
2. Can something be more than one thing at the same time?
3. What’s more important: what something is made of, or what we can do with it?

Play and Creativity

1. Why do you think Rabbit wants the box to be something else?
2. Is imagination important in everyday life, or only in play?
3. Have you ever pretended something was more than it seemed? What was it like?

Suggested Activity: Imagination Transformation

To bring the themes of Not a Box into the classroom, invite students to experience what the rabbit does—turning an ordinary object into something extraordinary. Begin by gathering a collection of simple, everyday items such as paperclips, cups, pieces of string, envelopes, or building blocks. Distribute one object to each student, or let them choose from a small set.

First, ask students to describe what the object “really is.” A cup might be for drinking, a string for tying, a block for stacking. Let a few students share aloud so that everyone sees the ordinary use of the object. Then explain that, just like the rabbit, they will now imagine their object as something else entirely. Encourage them to think as creatively as possible: the cup could be a crown for a king, the string a snake slithering across the floor, the block a treasure chest.

Give students time to either draw their transformed object on paper or act it out for the group. Those who prefer drawing can sketch their new creation, while others may want to demonstrate by holding or moving the object in a new way. Afterward, invite students to share their transformed object with the class or in small groups. Ask them to explain both what the object is “really” and what they imagined it to be.

Once everyone has shared, guide a reflective conversation. You might ask: Did the object feel different once you imagined it as something else? Could it still be both things at the same time? Did your imagined version feel real while you were using it that way? Connect their answers back to the rabbit in the story, emphasizing that the point is not whether the rabbit was right or wrong but how imagination changes the way we experience the world.

To conclude, invite the class to consider why imagination is important. Does it only matter in play, or does it help us in other parts of life, like solving problems or creating new ideas? This step helps children see that the playful exercise of turning a cup into a crown is also a way of thinking about how imagination enriches reality—just as Not a Box shows through the rabbit’s adventures.