HOW WE BEGAN
Brown Book Box began with two mothers and friends who shared the same struggle — finding children’s books where our kids could truly see themselves. We wanted stories filled with joy, culture, and imagination that reflected the world around them.
What started as a simple idea — curating diverse books and hands-on crafts for our children — quickly became a passion project that reached families far beyond our own. As our kids grew, so did our understanding of what it takes to build confident, capable readers.
Today, Brown Book Box has evolved from books and art activities to a holistic model grounded in the science of reading and experience-based learning. Our storytimes, theatre workshops, and book selections are designed not only to nurture a love of stories, but to help every child build the literacy skills and self-belief to write their own.
From award-winning author Margarita Engle comes a lively middle grade novel in verse that tells the story of a Cuban-American boy who visits his family’s village in Cuba for the first time—and meets a sister he didn’t know he had.
Edver isn’t happy about being shipped off to Cuba to visit the father he barely knows. The island is a place that no one in Miami ever mentions without a sigh, but travel laws have suddenly changed, and now it’s a lot easier for divided families to be reunited. Technology in Cuba hasn’t caught up with the times, though, and Edver is expecting a long, boring summer.
He was NOT expecting to meet a sister he didn’t know he had. Luza is a year older and excited to see her little brother, until she realizes what a spoiled American he is. Looking for something—anything—they might have in common, the siblings sneak onto the Internet, despite it being forbidden in Cuba, and make up a fake butterfly. Maybe now their cryptozoologist mother will come to visit. But their message is intercepted by a dangerous poacher, and suddenly much more than their family is at stake. Edver and Luza have to find a way to overcome their differences to save the Cuban jungle that they both have grown to love.
