Milo Imagines the World

Impressive story: not only because of all the different things involved, or the ending. It is a lesson of life: the guy imagining and creating a better world from his view of reality. The rich boy that goes the same place than him. The NOT NEED AT ALL to give a moral lesson about his mother (in fact we don't know why she is there). It is just a celebration of children, optimism about life, changing society with imagination and positive thinking... AND WITHOUT TELLING YOU!!! Just implicit in the beautiful story

I initially purchased this book because I'm on a mission to collect all of Robinson's work, but after reading the story I fell in love with Pena's writing and I will be buying more of his books. The illustrations are beautiful, Robinson does such a beautiful job drawing small but important aspects of Black people and that's one of the reasons why I love his work. I don't want to spoil the ending but it's a story about a boy named Milo and his sister who are riding the train, and on their ride, Milo draws pictures of the other passengers and makes up stories about who they are and where they're going. What Milo learns in the end is that you shouldn't judge a person so quickly only after a small encounter or what they're wearing because they might surprise you and may be on the same journey as you.

What a sweet book! Have you ever wondered about the lives strangers live? Ever day-dream about someone passing by? An adorable little kid full of wonder and anxious delight. A calming strategy in the ability to create art from those two *at times* conflicting emotions. This also introduces the idea that people who are incarcerated have families that come and spend time with them. I love that. It’s real. I also loved that the child was able to reflect on the assumption they made in their art thoughts and be open to alternative narratives because it’s important for kids to be flexible to changing their minds and knowing that sometimes we are not always right. This author and illustrator are my favorite dynamic duo and I continue to look forward to their work. Highly recommend all their work.

Shocked this has so many rave reviews. I like the illustrations but this is too much for small children IMO. Normalizing black parents (MOTHERS!!) in prison is not something I am interested in doing.

Brought my fourth graders and I to sniffles… opened us up to such important conversations… truly a must read with children. Any age group can find some thing to talk about that will bring value to their conversations about equity and love and how we see each other as people.

The books by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson are fantastic and this is no exception. It is seemingly simple, a story about a kid sitting on the subway, but is actually so deep. I love this book so much and the stories this team are creating. I am hoping for many more.

Just gifted this book to my son, Milo, as an early valentine gift. I loved reading this beautifully written and illustrated book with him. Great lesson...don’t judge a book by the cover. However, in this book’s case, the cover is absolutely beautiful so go ahead and love this book as much as we do.

Love this book when I saw it, that's my grandson name and people think it's a custom made original.

I can see this being a child's imagination until the surprise ending. The description should've been more forthcoming so that I could make the choice to purchase. I skipped the ending... not going to share that with my 3 year old.

My thanks to the creators of this charming and affirming story and illustrations. Christian Robinson, you have set heart to singing.

Impressive story: not only because of all the different things involved, or the ending. It is a lesson of life: the guy imagining and creating a better world from his view of reality. The rich boy that goes the same place than him. The NOT NEED AT ALL to give a moral lesson about his mother (in fact we don't know why she is there). It is just a celebration of children, optimism about life, changing society with imagination and positive thinking... AND WITHOUT TELLING YOU!!! Just implicit in the beautiful story

I initially purchased this book because I'm on a mission to collect all of Robinson's work, but after reading the story I fell in love with Pena's writing and I will be buying more of his books. The illustrations are beautiful, Robinson does such a beautiful job drawing small but important aspects of Black people and that's one of the reasons why I love his work. I don't want to spoil the ending but it's a story about a boy named Milo and his sister who are riding the train, and on their ride, Milo draws pictures of the other passengers and makes up stories about who they are and where they're going. What Milo learns in the end is that you shouldn't judge a person so quickly only after a small encounter or what they're wearing because they might surprise you and may be on the same journey as you.

What a sweet book! Have you ever wondered about the lives strangers live? Ever day-dream about someone passing by? An adorable little kid full of wonder and anxious delight. A calming strategy in the ability to create art from those two *at times* conflicting emotions. This also introduces the idea that people who are incarcerated have families that come and spend time with them. I love that. It’s real. I also loved that the child was able to reflect on the assumption they made in their art thoughts and be open to alternative narratives because it’s important for kids to be flexible to changing their minds and knowing that sometimes we are not always right. This author and illustrator are my favorite dynamic duo and I continue to look forward to their work. Highly recommend all their work.

Shocked this has so many rave reviews. I like the illustrations but this is too much for small children IMO. Normalizing black parents (MOTHERS!!) in prison is not something I am interested in doing.

Brought my fourth graders and I to sniffles… opened us up to such important conversations… truly a must read with children. Any age group can find some thing to talk about that will bring value to their conversations about equity and love and how we see each other as people.

The books by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson are fantastic and this is no exception. It is seemingly simple, a story about a kid sitting on the subway, but is actually so deep. I love this book so much and the stories this team are creating. I am hoping for many more.

Just gifted this book to my son, Milo, as an early valentine gift. I loved reading this beautifully written and illustrated book with him. Great lesson...don’t judge a book by the cover. However, in this book’s case, the cover is absolutely beautiful so go ahead and love this book as much as we do.

Love this book when I saw it, that's my grandson name and people think it's a custom made original.

I can see this being a child's imagination until the surprise ending. The description should've been more forthcoming so that I could make the choice to purchase. I skipped the ending... not going to share that with my 3 year old.

My thanks to the creators of this charming and affirming story and illustrations. Christian Robinson, you have set heart to singing.

Love the story and well written for children

This is one of the very best children’s books I have ever read!

Sweet book for children

He loves it

Best book ever!

A little concerning that the mom is in jail at the end🤔

Beautifully written ❤️

Beautifully written and illustrated.

Clever and sweet

This is a nice book with a great underlying lesson, however, the book ends with Milo visiting his mother in jail…I was not prepared to explain that to a 5 year old.

Fans of Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson’s collaborations (Last Stop on Market Street, Carmela Full of Wishes) are in for a treat in Milo Imagines the World. A must-read for parents and teachers seeking to teach empathy and non-judgment to kids while getting a moving reminder themselves. “Maybe you can’t really know anyone just by looking at their face.” muses Milo in the climax of the story, as he realizes that the lives of his fellow subway travelers could be vastly different than what he imagined them to be. His monthly visit to see his mother is both a physical trip as well as a journey of the imagination. As he observes his fellow riders, he imagines scenes of happiness, solitude, injustice, privilege. His imagination and his drawings provide him with an escape from his own nervousness and the pain of his family’s separation. The story is beautifully served by Robinson’s whimsical and poignant illustrations, and De la Peña’s willingness to challenge both his characters and his readers pays off as we walk away reminded that we don’t know what struggles may be hidden behind a pair of pristine white sneakers, nor what unconditional love may be kept behind bars.

The story of this illustrator is absolutely incredible! He illustrated Meghan Markle's new kids book, which is how I heard about him. Children of incarcerated parents need stories about their lives, stories representing them. Other children can benefit from seeing that all families are different! however be warned the author is trying to be very poetic and literary. I'm not against advanced vocabulary but it's like elevated diction, kind of like trying too hard. Not super fun to read. It also moves pretty slow.

During a long subway ride, Milo is a “shook-up soda” with mixed emotions. He passes the time by imagining where the other passengers go when they disembark. This leads him to question what others see when they look at him—and how a first look won’t tell them everything about who he is. When a boy in a suit gets off at the same stop as him, Milo realizes that everyone’s story might be different than the one he envisioned for them. Milo’s story unfolds at a leisurely pace as he observes the people on the subway over the course of several stops. Yet, underlying it is the tension causing Milo to worry and the mystery of where Milo will be getting off. Interweaving his story are illustrations from his sketchbook, in which he imagines (and later reimagines) the lives of other people from his subway ride. Milo Imagines the World is a beautiful, imaginative story that examines the stories we tell and how appearances can’t tell us everything about a person. Through Milo’s story, we learn to refrain from letting our initial impressions define how we perceive a person—and to keep an open mind.

Beautiful words. Stellar illustrations. What a gem of a story, the combination of these! Milo teaches us how he sees the world, but also to be open to surprises and looking at things differently. The ending was incredibly heart touching.

Lovely writing, heartfelt story, but not really appropriate for younger kids in a classroom setting. As a former K teacher, I can imagine kids whose parents are incarcerated being embarrassed if this book were read aloud to classmates. More appropriate for reading at home.

The few books for kids involving a parent (or even sibling) in prison are rarely in picture book format, nor do they refer to mothers behind bars. In this case, it is MILO's story, that has to do with his emotional landscape, his view of the world and those in it, his use ope art and imagination to navigate stress, and his ability to imagine and move toward a positive future. The specificity of his circumstances is a much-needed mirror and window for readers of all kinds and ages, but the larger impact of the story is Milo's growth to understand that he (and we) can make our worlds and lives better by seeing positive possibilities in everyone around us.

Incredible story and beaut Illustrations. I share it with my 3 year old and it helps me discuss the idea of impressions, assumptions, and imagination. The ending is beautiful and it brought a tear to my eye.

The world needs more books like this. I love the message that our first impressions may be way off, and I also love that kids who visit parents in jail are represented. There are lots of kids in that scenario, but they rarely get to see themselves in books. This is a must read for all families.

Loved the concept of this book, the cover art was beautiful and was really encouraged by the idea that the boy is helping pass the time on his travels by using his imagination. The story takes a major left turn about 3/4 of the way into the book and he imagines a bride marrying another woman - not something I’m prepared to delve into with my 4yo & 7yo at bedtime. And then the author finally reveals that the boy and his big sister are taking this journey on the subway to go visit their mom in jail. Again, not something I was prepared to discuss and I would have liked a heads up about it somewhere in the cover summary.