This book is an absolute delight. It should be read by every parent and heard by every child. It's an adorable story about love and how parents and their children can be so very much alike. You'll also be able to start reading this to your wee ones at a very early age, probably around two, and it will remain a favorite for many years to come!
I highly recommend this story, as it will appeal to kids and adults alike!

Thank you to Netgalley and Clavis Publishing for this Arc.
The review and opinions are solely my own.

I have some mixed feelings about this one.

Firstly, if my little one bought a gift for someone they loved and accidentally ate it, I'm sure I would probably say and do things similar to what the dad in this story does. But. I'm not thinking I want them to read a story that appears to trying to teach a lesson about love that basically comes down to, "you can think about yourself and your wants first and it's okay, because the empty box is full of love!" Yeah, no.

Also, it is a little bit funny. But I stand by my point on the moral dilemma.

Self control is difficult for kids, especially when candy is involved. In A Box Full of Love, We see what happens after a bear cub eats his mom's gift before giving it to her. I liked the twist ending, but I would have liked it even more if it was more subtle.

I started this not thinking too highly of the story, where a boy bear scoffs an entire box of chocolates he's intending to give his mother for Valentine's. But beyond the worries about encouraging diabetes, the thing is of course much more charming than I make out, with not one but two very pleasurable beats to proceedings to close. Illustrations are world class, too, meaning the warm message and the style will both be very much appreciated. Just don't come running to me if any copy-cat ideas lead to illness, tooth decay and/or weight gain.

I really liked the premise of this book and the ending was fun. The illustrations are beautiful and the relationship between father and son is really sweet. However, I found it a bit too short and the beginning seemed abrupt to me. Because of the age range this book targets, I think it needs a stronger narrative for reading out loud.

Never has a book made me laugh out loud like A Box Full of Love. The book tells the story of a boy that stumbles on a box of chocolates but falls into temptation. He realizes what he has done when the box is empty and he has no gift for his mother. I liked the fact that the reader can sense his honesty as he acknowledges what he has done . I did however felt like it would have been wonderful to see the final end product that he created with his dad . Nevertheless it was a good read.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher . All opinions expressed are entirely my own

First impression of this book: It is a cute Valentine book for early readers. The illustrations are adorable and the book relays an important theme of love and understanding. The way love is explained in this book shows that it really is "the thought that counts". Dad encouraging Max and teaching him that love is not about the tangible but the intangible was a great reminder to little kids.
My only hesitation regarding this book is there were no repercussions for Max's (or Dad's) lack of self-control. The fact that both the child and the parent ruined their gifts by giving in to temptation was not even addressed. Perhaps the message of love could have been conveyed in other ways like if Max was opening the box of candy to peek and dropped them all, or if he lost it somehow. If I were reading this book to my classroom we would definitely have a discussion about the rights and wrongs that occurred in this story along with the message of showing love and forgiveness.

I read this book to my kids and it was so cute. They loved it and thought it was funny that the dad did the same thing as Max ( don't want to five spoilers ) . The illustrations were detailed and they loved looking at the pictures also . The message of the story about love was great as well .

This is a very sweet (and not just because it's about cookies and chocolate!) book centred around two bears preparing for Valentine's Day. The little bear accidentally eats all of the chocolate he wanted to give his mum. The dad's solution is super cute and wholesome!

A Box Full of Love is a story about a little bear, Max, who can't help himself and eats his mother's Valentine's Day present. While the drawings are cute (I especially liked the one of Max by the fire), I felt that this story wasn't finished. The ending just kind of drops off. It left me scratching my head and checking for missing pages. I think children too need a resolution, but sadly there just wasn't one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The message of giving a box full of love to someone is sweet, but it feels like a moral is missing from this story. Both Papa and Max eat all of the chocolates that they got to give to Mama for Valentine's Day. I like that Max does stop to think about Mama and realizes that he did something wrong. He is sad and does show remorse.

In response to Max being sad, we see Papa first say that the empty box is "a box full of love". Having "a box full of love" is a nice sentiment, but in this context, it means the present was eaten by someone else. If a child is reading this book by himself/herself/themselves or this isn't discussed further by a person reading it out loud, what kind of message is this sending the child? Is Papa mentioning the "box full of love" because he feels like Max learned his lesson, or does it imply that it is okay to eat all the chocolates because Papa ate all of the chocolates, too? In the context of story, it feels like the latter.

Then Papa and Max frantically make cookies to put in the boxes. This seems like it would be a good place to insert a moral or to show Mama at the end receiving the boxes of cookies, but instead the text implies that Papa and Max are trying to cover up something. Will they tell Mama what happened or just leave her to feeling special that they baked? How would Mama react if she knew what happened? Are they worried about how she would react only for everything to turn out fine? Would this have been a good place for a Daniel Tiger-esque, "Saying I'm sorry is the first step; then how can I help?" type of sentiment?

Both of my children, ages 5 and 8, commented, "It isn't finished," after I finished reading the book. The book feels short for a picture book, and it feels like a resolution is missing. You see Mama peeking in the window while Papa and Max are making the batter, but you do not see how she reacts or what happens next.

On a positive note, the drawings are sweet. The little mouse that kids can look for and find in each scene is a nice touch. Papa's "box full of love" discussion perks Max up.

Very cute, very charming, could be perfect for a family read for the Valentine! It's was heartwarming but also have a message to it about love and sharing. I love it!

This is adorable! Max gets a box of delicious-looking chocolates for his mom for Valentine's Day. Maybe he'll just sample one...

This is such a cute, fun tale. It's full of sweetness and humor and kids will laugh along with the story. The illustrations are soft and expressive. They enhance the text nicely! This would be a fun circle time read in the lead-up to Valentine's Day and would be a great addition to pre-K and early elementary school and classroom libraries.

Love this book!!! I would recommend this book to other teachers to read around Valentine's day. I love how the book had a greater message for children.

A sweet story that I can see unfolding in my own home. The illustrations are perfect. The story is short enough to hold the attention span of young readers & personal enough to tug at the heartstrings of parents.

Who doesn't love sweets? Max certainly does, and maybe a bit too much.
Sweet story the best gift you can give someone, love!

I love the illustrations. I love the sweet, cute characters (the child and the mother). However, the storybook seems short and the presentation can be better with more creative lines.

Thank you, Clavis Publishing, for the advance reading copy.