ALA Booklist (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Curiosity breeds ingenuity in this humorous story about a goblin determined to find out what's inside a deep, round spangly box. Ginny, a small, green goblin with two protruding fangs and very long eyelashes, is told by her parents that she cannot open this appealing box until dinnertime. The narrator (it's unclear whether this represents the parents or an outside narrator) comes up with ways to keep the box safe until dinner, like putting it high on a shelf, or placing the box in a room and locking the door. But Ginny has ways of thwarting these precautions. She can drag a chair over to reach the shelf, or dress like a ninja and use a grappling hook to infiltrate the locked room. The scenarios for keeping Ginny from the box grow more and more elaborate, but she is equal to any challenge. Thomas' illustrations, rendered in gouache, pen, and ink, are fun and fantastical throughout. The book ends at the dinner table, with Ginny facing the greatest obstacle of all ting peas before getting the box.

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Ginny Goblin is not allowed to open this box. Not until dinnertime.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Ginny the goblin is a small, behorned, acid-green creature, and the titular box is large and round, with a gift tag attached to it. The story-s real star, though, is the voice of a sly, magically omniscient narrator. It knows how Ginny is feeling (-But she really wants to know what-s inside-) and what the house rules say (-Not until dinnertime-), and it comes up with ever-sterner security measures (-What if we put the box way up on a shelf?-). What it-s really doing is egging Ginny on as she wields ingenuity, initiative, and flat-out superpowers to get to the box: -She should not, for any reason, catapult little goats at the top of the shelf to knock the box down.- The lighthearted line drawings by Thomas (88 Instruments) bring a mid--60s cartoon vibe to the pages, a feeling of urbane restraint that reins in Goodner-s feverish visions. Never fear-readers do get to find out what-s in the box (-Now I-m really curious about what-s inside!- the narrator confesses), but the joy is all in the getting there. Ages 4-7. (July)