The Box of Smiles, and Other Stories

In Short

This collection of short stories follows a cast of young protagonists—from habitual criers to unhelpful children—who receive supernatural interventions. Through dreamlike encounters with fairies, brownies, and animated objects, these children learn lessons about gratitude, thrift, and cheerful industry. The book serves as a charming artifact of early 20th-century juvenile literature, blending moral instruction with the lighthearted, rhythmic whimsy characteristic of the era. Its enduring appeal lies in the way it transforms mundane domestic life into a vibrant, enchanted landscape where every household object holds a secret.

The Story

The collection begins with "The Box of Smiles," where a crying boy named Little Boo-Hoo is whisked away to a desert land of fairies who desperately need his tears to fill their fishbowls and skating rinks. When he discovers a "Wishing Key" in a hollow tree, he unlocks a box that releases endless smiles, forever curing him of his gloom. In "The Fairy Shoemaker," a young girl named June, distressed by her shabby slippers, finds herself threading needles for fairy cobblers who recognize her willingness to help others. Her reward arrives in the form of beautiful red slippers that allow her to dance perfectly at her school performance.

The narrative shifts toward cautionary tales, such as "Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too," where a boy who gossips at school is abducted on Halloween by a witch and her cohorts. After being forced to watch them prepare a stew with suspicious ingredients, he learns to keep his counsel, eventually transforming into a "Think-A-Minute" boy who enjoys magic rides on his own initiative. Similarly, "Little Girl Throw-Away" finds her wasteful habits corrected after a visit to "Thrift Town," where fairies demonstrate the value of saving bits of string and paper. She eventually learns to craft her own treasures, adopting the name "Girl Save-A-Bit."

Other tales emphasize the rewards of domestic duty. "Little Stay-At-Home" misses the Fourth of July celebration to finish chores, but is rewarded when the ironing board, the iron, and a stray pin conspire to bring the party to her, complete with firecrackers and balloons. In "The Enchanted Staircase," a boy who consistently sacrifices his penny savings to provide for fairy birthdays eventually finds his own staircase transformed into a banquet of cakes and candies, proving that generosity leads to unexpected abundance.

"Little Dwarf Courage" follows a girl named Dot who joins a troupe of dwarfs on their nightly rounds. They teach her that even grown-ups harbor fears, and together they help nervous children and an elderly man feel safe in the dark. Finally, in "Dorothy Marjorie Ann and the Wee Little Man," a Thanksgiving story, a girl who lacks gratitude is shrunk to the size of a fairy. She experiences a series of disappointments as her dinner plates are whisked away because she fails to appreciate them. Upon regaining her natural size and waking from what might be a dream induced by a "funny smoking cap," she becomes the most thankful child in town, finally understanding the joy of her own home.

How It Unfolds

The call to change Each story introduces a child struggling with a common flaw, such as chronic complaining, wastefulness, or ungratefulness. A magical figure, often a fairy or dwarf, appears to whisk the child away into a realm that mirrors their own life but highlights their shortcomings.

The trial of character The children undergo a series of surreal tasks that force them to confront their behaviors in a new light. Whether they are threading needles for shoemakers or watching witches stir a kettle, these tasks test their patience and resolve.

The return to reality The magic usually culminates in a moment of clarity or a tangible reward, often followed by the child waking up or returning home. While the line between dream and reality remains porous, the child is permanently altered, having replaced their old, undesirable habits with newfound virtues.

The People

Little Boo-Hoo serves as the archetype for the child in need of perspective; he begins as a source of "tears" for the fairy world but ends as a beacon of joy. June, the aspiring dancer, represents the diligent worker whose patience with her "shabby slippers" is rewarded by the fairies who admire her persistence. The boy from the Halloween tale, Tell-Tale, acts as a foil to the reader, showing how destructive gossiping can be until he learns to "Think-A-Minute." Little Stay-At-Home represents the value of reliability, while Dorothy Marjorie Ann provides the journey from spoiled ungratefulness to a mature sense of thankfulness. Each child is defined by a specific, relatable frustration—be it a fear of the dark or a habit of throwing away pencils—and each finds their path to change through a combination of fairy intervention and their own eventual decision to "be good."

In Its Own Voice

“He was standing on a sand pile sure enough, and there were fairies all around him.”

In the opening of the first story, Little Boo-Hoo realizes he has been transported to the desert country of the fairies.

“At that very minute a little fairy jumped right on the little toe, that peeped out from the little slipper, singing.”

This moment signals the transition for Little June from her mundane, unhappy errand-running to her encounter with the magical cobblers.

“Tell-Tale Tattlers are a trouble, in the kettle, let him bubble.”

The witch delivers this stern warning to the gossiping boy as he is forced to witness the consequences of his behavior during the Halloween trial.

What It's Really About

The central theme is the transformation of labor into play. The book argues that mundane chores—ironing, running errands, or saving scraps—are not merely obligations but rituals that, when performed with a good attitude, invite magic into the home. It addresses the child's struggle to find joy in duty, suggesting that "being good" is not a dry, restrictive state, but a gateway to a world of wonder. Ultimately, it posits that our internal disposition dictates the quality of our world; when a child chooses gratitude, thrift, or courage, the very environment around them responds with delight.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the whimsical, slightly surreal tone of early children’s classics will find this collection charming. It feels like a relic of a time when the "fairy tale" was a primary tool for teaching social conduct. The stories are short, punchy, and filled with rhythmic, sing-song dialogue that makes them excellent for reading aloud.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the overt moralizing, which is pervasive and direct. The period attitudes toward children—who are expected to be silently helpful, perfectly obedient, and eternally grateful—can feel quite restrictive by today's standards. Furthermore, the prose relies heavily on the "it was all a dream" device, which appears in almost every story to bridge the gap between the fairy realm and the child’s bedroom. While the dialect of the fairies and the simple, repetitive structure can occasionally feel monotonous to an adult, the book remains a fascinating look at the 1920s approach to juvenile character-building. It is best enjoyed as a nostalgic piece of history, appreciated for its warmth, its vivid illustrations of "thrifty" fairies, and its earnest, if old-fashioned, belief in the power of a smile.