Dora's Box Written by Ann-Jeanette Campbell
Illustrated by Fabian Negrin
Knopf Books for Young Readers,
NY, NY 1998
4+ years
What would it be like to live in a perfect world? A world without pain or
sorrow?
Dora,
the child of a good hearted man and woman, knows such a world. She is protected
by the wishes her parents made before her birth--wishes
granted by a grateful witch. Her parents first asked for a child, next for
her to be protected from all evil, sadness, and pain in the world, and lastly
for her to be loved by all. The witch gives Dora's parents a box in which
to put everything they want to protect her from, as well as a warning that
Dora must never open the box, or the wish will come undone. The last wish
is up to Dora to complete.
As the years go by, Dora's box is filled and Dora
never feels pain, or fear, or grief--until the day a boy persuades Dora to
open the box. As Dora feels
sadness for the first time, the third wish finally comes true, for to be
loved by all, she must know pain and sorrow as well as happiness and joy.
Inspired
by the myth of Pandora's box, this mesmerizing tale, paired with the spectacular
paintings of debut illustrator Fabian Negrin, has the depth
and beauty of a classic (book description).
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