Bea can turn a box into anything. A cave, a rocketship, and even a balikbayan! In this lovely story of Bea and her family we learn about the Filipino tradition of balibayan boxes. Bea and her family shop for gifts for their relatives in the Philipines and ship them in a large box. The box is full of not only goodies but love for their family so far away. This story is the perfect window for kids who have never hears about balikbayan boxes as well as a mirror for Filipino kids who maybe send their own boxes to their family. Complemented by beautiful art and incredible back matter, Bea's Balikbayan is a delight to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

It warms my heart that we're seeing more books with Filipino representation! As a Filipino American, this brought back memories of helping my mom pack Balikbayan boxes for all of my titos and titas living in the Philippines when I was younger. I loved the inclusion of Tagalog words throughout the story with a glossary and pronunciation guide at the end. This book perfectly captures the importance of this tradition and everything that it means to Filipino families.

I really liked this book and I learned a lot from reading it! This book is great for any kids out there, but it will be extra special and touching to kids that can identify with Bea, culturally. I loved to see how Bea allows her creativity to really shine when she's making the balikbayan box for her family, and I believe that that imagination will spread to young readers, and they will walk away from this book feeling inspired. Additionally, Bea's kindness is infectious, and I applaud the author for making such an awesome and effective main character. As for the illustrations, they were beautiful! The illustrator's use of space on the page and level of detail was very impressive, and really helped to bring this book to life. Bravo!

A wonderful, emotional and story about familial bonds by Christine Alemshah with beautiful, bright and emotive illustrations by Dream Chen. I really enjoyed this story and learning about the traditions and treasures of a Balikbayan Box! I really enjoyed how close the family is, even living in different continents and countries; and how much joy preparing and receiving a Balikbayan Box is. It was a delight to learn about this tradition!

I especially enjoyed the illustrations a lot. The book also features activity pages and a glossary.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Heartwarming and accurate depiction of what a balikbayan box is and what it means to Filipino families!

Bea has so many ideas for a cardboard box - a bear cave, a playhouse, or a rocket ship! But the most important thing it can be is a balikbayan box, filled to the brim with goodies for Bea's family in the Philippines. It takes a long time to get there, and when it finally does, Bea is so happy and excited for her cousin Mirabel to enjoy the toys, her Tito Rico to enjoy his tinned meats, her Tita Alma to enjoy the lotions, and the rest of her family to enjoy the other contents of the box. Once the box is empty, her cousins use it to play - what will they make of it?

I picked this up because I love seeing Filipino representation in books, and it definitely brought back some memories of filling balikbayan boxes with my parents when I was younger. It is really refreshing to also see a mixed family still partaking in cultural traditions. As a first generation American daughter of Filipino immigrants, it was really important for my parents to make sure they shared Filipino culture with me, and I love seeing that represented in this book where only one parent is Filipino.

I also really loved the inclusion of Tagalog words into the story with the glossary at the end because it felt more immersive that way, since it's normal to refer to uncles/aunts as Tito/Tita ___ instead of just their first names. Overall I think it's a great children's book that teaches about one of the most beloved Filipino traditions, and I loved the full circle journey of the balikbayan box from cousin to cousin as well.

Thank you to Teacher Created Materials | Free Spirit Publishing for this eARC via NetGalley.

Bea;s Balikbayan Box of Treasures greatly reflects this long-standing tradition of family members’ across oceans and divided by continents. The book is exceptionally warm. I would have wanted more emphasis on the connection between the two families but what was given was just right. The illustrations are also very beautiful done! A little side note though, I think the Philippine islands drawing was missing Palawan (huge island on the left, out-stretched). Might be a lowkey issue since there is some territorial dispute on-going there so I hope it would be included / edited in.

So cute and bright! The book follows a journey of a care package over seas while teaching us about what the care packages are, what goes in them and how long it takes. It's a cute way to teach families about other cultures!

Netgalley ARC - This is fantastic! The art style is engaging and fits well, I enjoyed the story and the emphasis on strategies like a countdown calendar and ways of playing that make waiting easier. The topic is special and well-presented for those who are unfamiliar and those who already make or know about balikbayan boxes. I appreciated the backmatter too. Recommend!

As a Filipino-American myself, Bea's Balikbayan Box of Treasures was such a joy to read. I have a toddler and love seeing our culture represented in books I can share with her. The story beautifully captures the tradition of sending balikbayan boxes filled with gifts to family in the Philippines—something many Filipino families abroad cherish. I loved the creative instructions showing how a simple box can transform into a spaceship, and the touching parallels between the beginning and end where the children play with the same box across continents. The beautiful illustrations complement this heartwarming story about maintaining family connections despite distance, bringing back nostalgic memories of my own childhood. This book is a treasure that helps pass down Filipino cultural traditions to the next generation. I would definitely pick this up to read to my daughter and I can't wait to get a copy when this publishes! Thank you!

Such a heartwarming story! It reminded me of when I lived overseas and my family would send us packages in the same way that Bea's family did.

I love how clever and creative this is. Bea starts out with a box and uses her imagination to have all kinds of adventures with it. Then when her family wants to send a care package to their family in the Philippines, they spend a month filling the box with so many wonderful things. Then the kids there get to use the box for more adventures!
There are a few Filipino words to learn and instructions to turn a box into a spaceship, among other things. So much fun. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Bea loves to get creative with her leftover cardboard boxes -- what endless possibilities! One day, she and her family decide it's time to send one of their balikbayan boxes to their other family members in the Philippines. Everything from outgrown clothing to bubble wands and chocolate are sent in their balikbayan box across the sea, and the best part of all? When the fun is done, Bea's cousins have a brand new box for their own adventures!

This is an adorable story with such charming illustrations. I'd never heard of a balikbayan box by name, so I definitely learned something new! I also love how the author gives suggestions in the back pages for sending your own care package and letters, as well as step-by-step instructions for turning a regular cardboard box (as Bea does) into a bear cave, rocket ship, and playhouse.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The cover drew me in for this book. I loved the illustrations they are very beautiful. This was a great tool to learn about a culture I am not familiar with. I would recommend this to other readers.

Perfect for early readers! The story is adorable. I love that the author has explained lightly how a balikbayan works. Biracials and Foreigners alike will understand the tradition more clearly.