When most people look at an empty box, they see something that needs to be packed, thrown away or recycled. When David C. Pool and his daughter Jacqueline H. Blumenstock look at a box, they see a world of possibility. They also see a little character named Browny Big Box, and sometimes they see his friends Biggie and Tawny.

     Pool and Blumenstock are children’s writers who have recently taken on the task of penning a book series surrounding these characters.

     Although a relatively new endeavor, the idea seems to be taking off, as it seems everyone at some point in their childhood has a memory involving a box, whether it be for building a fort or for a game of hide-and-go-seek. Boxes and their involvement with the active imagination have inspired the pair into a great deal of work. 

     Browny Big Box, the main character of the book, made his first public appearance last weekend at the second anniversary of Spring City’s classic toy store, Toys From the Heart. He welcomed visitors into the store alongside Store Owner Albert Wolfram, and he accompanied his authors throughout the day as they signed copies of their first book, “Making New Friends,” featuring Browny Big Box. 

     “Browny is basically a shipping carton, and the book is about how a young boy moves into a new neighborhood and leaves all his friends,” said Blumenstock. “As he meets Browny, he helps him gain the confidence to go out and meet the kids playing across the street.”

     The ego boost is accomplished through a series of transformations in which Browny changes into objects like an airplane and flies around the skies with his new friend.

     Their next book, “A Christmas to Remember,” will feature two new characters Tawny and Biggie. 

     Aside from spinning an interesting tale for children, Blumenstock said that each book will have an area for educational activity. For example, one of the stories takes place from Pennsylvania to Virginia. The book will come with a map of the route with interesting facts about the states along the path.

     “The Big Brown Box, Volume I,” was actually the first book dealing with boxes, written by Pool. The book is a humorous look into the various configurations of boxes. It contains a number of fold outs in the back, providing diagrams of box toys, like puppet theaters, the reader can assemble.

     The pair hopes to release at least one book in the Browny Big Box Adventure Series a year. After that, they hope to go international.

     “As word about the Browny character and the book gets out there, we are quickly becoming wanted in the area,” she laughed.

     The original idea was the brainchild of Pool, who said he got into writing when he was looking for another career path. Having a graphic arts background helped him establish a base for illustration, while his views on actively engaging children through playtime, evolved into the crux of the book.

     “I kind of wanted to build a company around the idea of people really using their imagination, and helping their kids along with what it is they are imagining,” he said, "Just like we used to do when we were growing up. We pre-imagine most of the toys kids play with today.

     The book will be released this November through “Trafford Publishing.”

     The books can be picked up at Toys From the Heart toy store in Spring City, which has been carrying Big Brown Box, Inc. products since May 2004. For more information on the toy store, visit the Web site at http://ToysFromTheHeart.com. For more on the book, visit the Web site at www.thebigbrownbox.com .