Recently, I had the pleasure of spending time with Kindergartener Sienna, who shared the book Press Here, by Hervé Tullet, an interactive picture book that invited me into a child’s sense of wonder.
The first page offers a single yellow dot and the simple instruction, “press here.” When you follow the prompt and turn the page, something has subtly shifted. Each page continues this pattern of one gentle instruction, one small, satisfying change, as though your touch is guiding the story along.
Even without traditional characters or plot, the experience unfolds with a quiet playfulness and eventually comes full circle (no pun intended). What struck me most was how the book turns the reader into a participant, creating a moment of shared imagination that feels both simple and delightful.
The book reminded me of Antoinette Portis’ Not a Box, a longtime favorite in my household when my sons were younger. In this story, a rabbit plays with a plain cardboard box while an unseen adult (presumably) keeps asking, “Why are you standing in (or sitting on or wearing) that box?”
The rabbit, increasingly exasperated, replies, “It’s not a box!”
Each page reveals how the rabbit sees the box instead: as a race car, a mountain, a robot suit, a tugboat, and a rocket ship. The simple box becomes a portal into whatever world the rabbit imagines, a reminder of how easily children transform the ordinary into something full of possibility. Both books highlight a powerful truth:
Ordinary things can become extraordinary when a child brings their imagination to them.
This echoes a theme of Ezra Klein’s recent New York Times op-ed, “Pay Attention to How You Pay Attention.” In it, Klein argues that attention is not just something we give, but something that shapes who we become.
What we attend to, and how deeply we attend, determines the shape of our days and the quality of our relationships. Children seem to know this instinctively. They direct their focus to a dot on a page or a cardboard box, and in doing so, they transform it. Their wonder is a product of how they’re able to attend, rather than what they possess.
During the holidays, when gifts often seem loud, oversized, and battery-powered, these stories and Klein’s reminder offer a welcome counterpoint:
Joy is usually found in interaction, creativity, and presence.
The flashiest objects rarely inspire the deepest sense of wonder, and they often pull attention outward rather than attracting it more deeply inward.
It’s worth pausing to ask ourselves: How much room for wonder do our gifts truly offer? Are we offering toys that reward patience, imagination, and engagement, or ones that encourage passive consumption and constant stimulation?
As Klein notes, our attention is constantly being shaped and sometimes scattered by the forces around us. Helping children learn to dwell in focused, imaginative play may be one of the greatest gifts you can give.
As you choose gifts, you might look for the ones that invite a child to take action rather than receive passively. The best options tend to be open-ended enough to encourage pretending, making, and exploring, rewarding patience and imagination rather than price or flashiness.
Some of the most memorable gifts are those that invite a child to take part in the fun, to imagine, create, and explore. These can be simple objects that spark endless play or shared experiences that become memories: cooking together, wandering through a museum, taking a quiet nature walk, watching a performance, building something as a family, or just carving out time to play without interruption.
Research shows that these kinds of experiences often bring more lasting satisfaction than any toy ever could, leaving stories and connections that linger long after the wrapping paper is gone and train our attention toward what truly nourishes us: curiosity, presence, and connection.
May this holiday season be filled with magical moments of adventure, curiosity, and delight, moments where attention deepens into wonder.
Warmly,
Laura
Dr. Laura Konigsberg
Head of School
lkonigsberg@tuningpointschool.org
