School’s out for almost everyone, and summer is here. While our kids might be ecstatic over the structure-free days and downtime, the pressure is on for us parents to ensure those long days aren't dominated by screen time, while still allowing kids to watch educational shows when the whole family needs a break from constant activity.

Thankfully Apple TV+ is debuting a new series that aims to inspire kids to think outside the box—literally—when it comes to playtime. Not a Box, premiering on June 13 2025, is based on the beloved, award-winning children’s picture book by The New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Antoinette Portis. In the animated series, Riley (a bunny) uses her big imagination to transform her cardboard box into magical worlds and goes on big adventures. 

Both the book and series are entertaining for kids—but also relatable for parents. What parent hasn’t joked on a birthday or holiday that out of all the gifts, the box is the biggest hit with our kids? Except in a world where over stimulating TV programming, attention grabbing YouTube clips, and quick social media hits are king—it can be tough to direct our kids to more low key programming or encourage them to leave their screens behind to engage in more imaginative playtime. 

That’s exactly why Not a Box’s executive producer Dete Meserve was passionate about not only adapting the book into a series, hoping that it might encourage kids to make up their own games when they stop watching.

Merseve tells Parents she started thinking about developing the book into a series back in 2011 after reading the book with her daughter.

“Everyone is an imaginative, creative person, and that's what this book was saying—all of us have this ability to imagine whether we get in a cardboard box or not," she says. "And even if we have other jobs or other skill sets, they all require creativity and imagination.”  

But finding the right vision for Not a Box as a TV series was not an easy task. It was important that the show wasn’t telling kids how to be imaginative or creative, by implying there is a right or wrong way to play. And it certainly should not feel like kids were looking to adults for inspiration. 

“We didn’t want it to be like Harold and The Purple Crayon where imagination is kind of like magic. We wanted to empower kids' imagination,” explains Merseve. “We didn’t want to tell kids how to imagine—that they already know—but to show them that imagination is something they should value and is actually something only they can control.”

Michael Rabb, Not a Box’s co-executive producer and writer, had the perfect vision and connection to the magic of boxes. His dad was a carpet salesman and his neighbor was an appliance salesman. So he grew up surrounded by oversize, giant boxes from his dad’s carpet samples and the refrigerators, washers and dryers that were delivered to his neighbor.

“You can imagine the stuff that we were making in our house was pretty awesome,” Rabb tells Parents.

But it wasn't until Rabb had a conversation with his niece, who was 6-years-old at the time, that he figured out what would help Not a Box stand out in TV show form.

“My niece was telling me a story about a dream that she had, and it lasted about 45 minutes. It's amazing how six-year-olds tell a story. They make things up as they go and they change their mind. I just love that,” shares Rabb. “Then it hit me that the show should be about how a child tells a story and changes their mind and comes up with these crazy solutions and weird solutions.”  

It was important to Meserve that even with so much energy and excitement in Riley’s world that the show did not feel frantic or move too quickly.

“Sometimes kids are not developmentally even ready for that, so they're confused about what's happening or they get kind of anxious because things are happening and unfolding in a way that is a different pace than where they are in that moment,” explains Meserve. “As a parent, I was always looking for shows that were more in line with where kids are in their life at that moment.”

For those reasons, Not a Box doesn't feature any jumps to the future or the past and sticks to Riley's perspective. Each episode has two 11-minute stories and stays with Riley and her imagination the whole time.

“It's not slow. It's just that the pacing is in real time,” explains Meserve. “But there's constantly surprises built in throughout so the storytelling feels more organic to the way parents and kids watch TV together. No episode looks or feels like any other one. You will never see the same set twice. One episode, Riley's imagining she's in a comet and the next she’s in a toy store and then a choo choo train, mountain or on a boat.”

Meserve points out that there is an adult voice heard on the show but their purpose is unique from how adults are integrated into most kid shows.

“The adult voice is sporadic as we didn't want to interrupt Riley's play. Kids want to imagine on their own. They don't want an adult barging in. Instead, we wanted to give the adult a chance to ask questions,” shares Meserve. “That helps Riley broaden her imagination even more because she wants to come up with answers for the adult. Hopefully that will inspire parents to ask questions when they see their child playing in a box."

Rabb hopes that Not a Box inspires kids to tell stories and for parents to listen to them.

“We need more stories. Sharing ideas and charging your imagination ignites the great ideas and great things that come out of storytelling,” he says. “I hope it really lights a fire.” 

And while the show is technically a preschool series, Meserve is hopeful that older children will connect with it too. She’s looking forward to watching it with her college-aged daughter—and encouraged me to put the show on for my 10-year-old.

“They tell us that they're too mature, but there's something very engaging and comforting [for older kids] because it's the familiarity of being imaginative.”  

Both Rabb and Meserve are hopeful the show will be a co-viewing experience for families this summer—so hold on to any cardboard boxes you might get from the mail. They might the key to child's next big adventure.