The Cardboard Kingdom

In a chapter that relies entirely on images to tell the story, a young boy and his older brother, Nate (the Prince) are playing in their bedroom. The young boy has a pile of cardboard boxes and ribbons on the floor and is excited to make a costume for himself. However, Nate puts on his own costume and leaves to play outside with Sophie (Big Banshee), Vijay (the Beast), and Miguel (the Rogue), leaving his younger brother feeling left out and disappointed. The younger brother soon dons his new costume and joins everyone outside. The boxes form a sphere-like shape around him, and he has attached the ribbons as tentacles. The others are unsure what he is supposed to be and begin to laugh at him. The young boy begins to cry, but Nate steps in and draws eyes on his brother’s costume, then takes the crown off his head and turns it upside down to represent teeth. From this, a new monster is created: the Blob. Nate then pretends that one of the tentacles has grabbed him around the neck, and the others jump in to rescue him. The young boy is pleased to be included.