As a Filipino-American myself, Bea's Balikbayan Box of Treasures was such a joy to read. I have a toddler and love seeing our culture represented in books I can share with her. The story beautifully captures the tradition of sending balikbayan boxes filled with gifts to family in the Philippines—something many Filipino families abroad cherish. I loved the creative instructions showing how a simple box can transform into a spaceship, and the touching parallels between the beginning and end where the children play with the same box across continents. The beautiful illustrations complement this heartwarming story about maintaining family connections despite distance, bringing back nostalgic memories of my own childhood. This book is a treasure that helps pass down Filipino cultural traditions to the next generation. I would definitely pick this up to read to my daughter and I can't wait to get a copy when this publishes! Thank you!

Such a heartwarming story! It reminded me of when I lived overseas and my family would send us packages in the same way that Bea's family did.

I love how clever and creative this is. Bea starts out with a box and uses her imagination to have all kinds of adventures with it. Then when her family wants to send a care package to their family in the Philippines, they spend a month filling the box with so many wonderful things. Then the kids there get to use the box for more adventures!
There are a few Filipino words to learn and instructions to turn a box into a spaceship, among other things. So much fun. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Bea loves to get creative with her leftover cardboard boxes -- what endless possibilities! One day, she and her family decide it's time to send one of their balikbayan boxes to their other family members in the Philippines. Everything from outgrown clothing to bubble wands and chocolate are sent in their balikbayan box across the sea, and the best part of all? When the fun is done, Bea's cousins have a brand new box for their own adventures!

This is an adorable story with such charming illustrations. I'd never heard of a balikbayan box by name, so I definitely learned something new! I also love how the author gives suggestions in the back pages for sending your own care package and letters, as well as step-by-step instructions for turning a regular cardboard box (as Bea does) into a bear cave, rocket ship, and playhouse.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The cover drew me in for this book. I loved the illustrations they are very beautiful. This was a great tool to learn about a culture I am not familiar with. I would recommend this to other readers.

Perfect for early readers! The story is adorable. I love that the author has explained lightly how a balikbayan works. Biracials and Foreigners alike will understand the tradition more clearly.