I am thrilled to announce that my first published book, The Boy in the Box, is now available exclusively on my website
The Boy in The Box – Print Edition | The Boy in the Box – Audio Edition

I wrote The Boy in the Box twenty-three years ago. It was a gray day in our Graymoor neighborhood in Illinois, and the first Passover we celebrated without the Dad who left to find Utopia. The kids and I were gloomy. Suddenly a sentence popped into my head, in English and Hebrew, ‘He sat in the closet quiet and still’. As I wrote it, a flood of images poured out, and the story came alive. It was the first poem I wrote in English. When I finished a few hours later, I made simple drawings, printed it, then I left it sitting in a box. For years, I planned to publish it, but for one reason or another it was delayed until now.

A few months ago, I shared the story with the gifted composer, Jonathan Ostlund. His enthusiasm sparked me to freshen up the art, translate to Hebrew, and to finally bring the Boy out of the Box and into the light. Thank you, Jonathan 🌹

Special ‘Thank-You’ to my friends Dr. Carol Lieberman, Irene Jung, David Proud and Ayal Rosenberg for their support, and my son Asaf, my guiding light, who inspires me to try harder and reach higher 💝

The Boy in the Box is a rhyming story about a sad little boy whose shadowy, boxed-in existence is interrupted by a happy bee, who invites him to come “play in the sunshine and laugh in the light.” The bee tells the boy of various wonders to be found in the world. However, the boy clings to his retreat, rejecting the bee’s efforts to expand his horizons. In the end, readers are left to wonder if he’ll ever change his mind. This parable for children and adults has a worthy message about how the choices we make affect our lives, with a strong appeal to readers to think about how they’d like to live. The book includes my Illustrations and Hebrew translation.

🐝
for my children Asaf and Talia

When at times life seems harsh and a bit scary
and it’s so hard to laugh to sing and be merry
when deep down inside you feel ever so lonely
and you say to yourself: “Oh, I wish, Oh, if only . . .”
What if your wish became suddenly true
and you could step out with your hat and your shoes
would you stay in your box and play the blame game
or kindle your spirit with a bright glowing flame?
♥
©Yakira Shimoni Fulks
Graymoor, Illinois | April 10, 1998