Milo Imagines the World: An Eye-Opening Treasure
Empathy has been something of a dad buzzword for me ever since our son was born. I write about it all the time, and as a teacher I brought it up in almost every meeting I was ever in. So I suppose it’s no surprise at all that I gravitate towards books with empathy at their heart - and I get extremely excited to share them with my kids.
The picture book team of Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson, the same team that brought you Carmela Full of Wishes and Last Stop on Market Street - one of my very favorite picture books of all time - has come together again to gift us all with a very special story. Milo Imagines the World simply blows me away. It’s a perfect picture book, and I don’t say that lightly. In fact, I’d be shocked if it doesn’t end up being the best picture book of the year.
It’s an expert collaboration between an author and illustrator at the top of their games, and it fills its niche and its purpose absolutely perfectly. It’s a character study of a boy going to visit his mother with his sister. The book is a celebration of empathy and understanding, and ultimately, according to the author himself, it’s about eliminating stereotypes. Quite simply, it’s the type of book every kid needs to read.
But before I talk more about what’s going on in this book, I’m going to give a spoiler warning. There’s something about this book that has a more powerful emotional impact the less you know going into it. So if you want to have the full effect of discovering this beautiful story by yourself, don’t read any further - just go grab this amazing book today. I couldn’t recommend it more wholeheartedly.
Are you still here? Ok, good. Milo and his sister are on the subway on their way to go visit their mother in jail. We only get one tiny hint about this during the course of the story - the fact that his mother reads Milo bedtime stories on the phone - so it’s a very effective surprise. And after building a deep connection with Milo through his inner thoughts, it’s nice to discover this fact only at the end of the story. That way we all see so clearly that his mother being in jail is only one piece of his life. It doesn’t fully define him.
During the ride, we get to see that Milo is a talented little artist, and he spends his time drawing pictures of the people he sees. Basically he is imagining what their life looks like, and putting it to paper. He imagines a scruffy man with whiskers returning to a lonely, rat-infested apartment, and he imagines a crew of street dancers constantly watched with mistrust whenever they go into a store. And, most importantly, he imagines another young boy - with perfectly parted hair and wearing a suit - returning to his castle in a horse-drawn carriage.
The reason that’s so important isn’t immediately apparent, but Milo finds out later that that little boy was actually going to visit his mother in jail too. It’s probably the most powerful moment of the story, and it’s all just executed so well. It’s a beautiful story accompanied by beautiful pictures and it was crafted with care and love.
I’ve already heard from several teachers that this is going to be such an important book for kids all over the world that have incarcerated parents. Robinson himself was raised by his grandmother while his mother was incarcerated, as he talked about in an NPR interview. He mentioned how as a kid, it feels like you’re being punished - even though it’s the parent being punished. He also mentions the pain of internalizing the experience, and not being able to connect about it with others. And I truly believe this book will help make that connection for many kids.
And it’s not only good for representation and helping kids see their own experiences in a picture book. It’s also very powerful for kids with absolutely no experience with incarceration of loved ones. It’s like the old analogy of windows and mirrors - seeing yourself in a book and providing windows into the lives of others are equally valuable in picture books. And this has long been one of my favorite ways to help grow the empathy inside my own children.
When I first read this book to my kids, they were visually shocked that Milo’s mother was in jail. This is literally the first time they’ve seen that in a book. And I can’t think of a single movie they’ve seen with a parent in jail either. I think that effectively speaks to how important this book is. Unfortunately it’s a part of life for so many families, and the thought has probably literally never crossed their minds before.
As de la Pena points out in the same NPR interview, he hopes the book will be shared with lots of kids who don’t have similar experiences - to help combat stereotypes and help people realize that an incarcerated parent does not define someone. And the big turn in the book is when Milo himself realizes that he himself has been stereotyping everyone that he sees.
There’s a powerful moment in the book when Milo has an epiphany, and he starts to wonder how other people usually see him. Do they imagine him reading his poetry to his class? Sadly, it’s unlikely. More likely than not, they come up with their own stereotypes in their imagination. This moment truly drives home how important this book is - and why I’m so happy to share it with my kids.
Matt de la Pena and Christian Robinson have certainly done it again. They have a special talent for making beautiful books that will make a difference in the world. As a dad I’m extremely grateful to have another book to help cultivate empathy and battle stereotypes with my kids. As a fan of picture books I’m excited to have in my hands another book I can add to my favorites of all time. And as just an average guy I’m so happy for all the kids in the world that this book exists.
You can find Milo Imagines the World, along with many more family book recommendations, on the Dad Suggests Amazon store or Bookshop.org shop.
Have you read Milo Imagines the World yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
