There across the road, it looked like any rocky hill—nothing but sand and rocks, and some old wooden boxes. But it was a special place. And all children needed to go there was a long stick and a soaring imagination.
Every once in a while, I pull one of my childhood books off the shelf to look through it again, because I love the art, or I still like the story. Roxaboxen is one book that I look at over and over again because of both.
It’s set in the Arizona desert from the look of the clothing probably the early 1900s(?), and it’s about a small town’s children and the town of their own they create on a nearby hill. They build houses (which they decorate), they have horses, and a town hall; they even have cops and a jail. And of course, being a children’s town, they have two ice cream shops. They play Capture the Fort, and wage boys vs. girls war (non violently, of course). Even when they grow up and start moving away, Roxaboxen stays a part of their lives; it will always connect them.
The art is gorgeous. Barbara Cooney has created a style that is incredibly detailed while also omitting finer details. It’s a stark art style, that still evokes those days of childhood where your future stretched out in front of you and it seemed like the days were endless.
Parents do not appear in this book: the story revolves around the children and it stays there. The only adults to ever appear are the children when they have grown up and bring their own families back to Roxaboxen.
It’s recommended for children Kindergarten to 3rd grade level, but I honestly think children of any age would enjoy the pictures and having the story read out loud to them. And of course, any adult who has a child at heart.
Fun fact that I didn’t know until I started looking for a picture of the cover for this review: there is an actual Roxaboxen Park in Yuma, Arizona. I might try to swing by the next time I drive cross country.
