de la Peña, Matt. Milo Imagines the World. Christian Robinson, Illus. Picture Book. Putnam, 02/2021. 40pp. $18.99. 978-0-399-54908-3. OUTSTANDING. GRADES K-3.
Once again, Newbery-winning collaborators de la Peña and Robinson (Last Stop on Market Street, 2015) render a regular occurance with such detail, charm, and humanity that it becomes revelatory. Milo, who is dark-skinned and his older sister, who is lighter, ride a subway full of diverse individuals. Milo distracts himself from his nervousness by drawing the passengers’ imagined lives: the white boy in a suit lives in a castle and is served crustless sandwiches; the radiant, dark-skinned bride is about to marry her groom. Evocative words and rich vocabulary bring the reader into the scene with rhythm, onomatopoeia, alliteration, and assonance, all of which make this a superb read-aloud. But when Milo glimpses his own reflection, he wonders what others imagine when they see his face. When he and a fellow passenger surprisingly wind up at the same destination, Milo recognizes it’s time to reimagine the world.
Melissa McAvoy, Retired