DORA'S BOX

paper 0-679-97642-6 A lyrical recasting of the Pandora myth with multiple pathways into the heart of the story. A man and woman free a witch trapped in the forest; she promises them three wishes in gratitude, but cautions them that they cannot have all three at once. Soon they have their first wish, a child, and they name her Pandora—Dora for short. Into a box the witch gives them they place all troublesome things in the world and prevent them from hurting their daughter, fulfilling their second wish. Bee stings, berry brambles, and hot coals are among those items tucked away. When a strange lost boy visits the family, Dora’s mother steals his tears, so that Dora will not know sadness. Dora is confused by the boy’s sorrow, and at his request opens the box where the tears are kept to release them. The witch appears in the boy’s place, the parents are horrified, but Dora herself will fulfill their third wish, that she be loved by all, because knowing sorrow will bring her compassion. The solid, geometric shapes of Negrin’s figures and objects are very beautiful in their composition on the page; color and pattern are used to great effect. The magical box lets loose feathery tendrils of light when opened; hair and clothing become abstract, elemental designs. (Picture book. 5-8)