By Leslie Patricelli
The one every parent of a one-year-old already knows is true: the baby gets a birthday present, and the very best part turns out to be the box.
Leslie Patricelli's round-headed baby gets a birthday present with a stuffed puppy inside — and then discovers the real treasure is the big empty box it came in. The box becomes a house, a car, a boat, a hat, a whole afternoon of pretend, with the puppy along for every ride. It's bright, bold, and drawn in the thick simple lines babies lock onto, and it lands the joke every grown-up in the room already gets.
It's a birthday book that celebrates the exact thing a one-year-old actually does — ignore the toy and climb into the packaging — so it feels like an inside joke shared with the baby. The art is high-contrast and simple, perfect for the youngest eyes, and the whole book is pure play with nothing to brace for. It gently plants a lovely idea: your imagination is the best gift in the room.