Milo Imagines The World

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This poignant, thought-provoking story speaks volumes for how art can shift one’s perspectives and enable an imaginative alternative to what is . . . or seems to be.”— The Horn Book, starred review I don’t want to give away the ending, but I will say that as Milo reaches his destination, he is surprised to find the young boy in the suit is going to the very same place as Milo and his sister. That’s how he learns that we can’t really know anyone just by looking at them, and is inspired to reimagine all of his drawings. Milo questions what people might think of him. Can they see that he is a poet and his aunt takes good care of him? Do they know that his mother loves him very much and is incarcerated?

A text that flows like poetry . . . Glorious.”— The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred reviewMilo gazes at his chocolate-brown reflection in the train window and wonders: what assumptions do strangers make about him? Do they see the complexity of his family situation and relationships, or do their narratives reduce him to nothing more than a kid of color living in the big city? As Milo and his sister exit the underground, he notes that at least one of the stories he created about his fellow passengers was dead wrong, and he ponders that as they pass through the metal detector for their scheduled visit. What direction will Milo's life take in the days and years ahead? Stories are complicated things, and Milo is beginning to absorb that truth on a deep level. When looking at the cover of Milo Imagines the World, what do you suppose the story is about? I thought we would learn about a boy who aspires to be an engineer. I made this assumption because of the cityscape drawings and the pencil behind Milo’s ear. Reading Milo’s story made me realize how wrong I was with my first impression. Discussing their professional relationship, de la Peña noted that he feels as if the two “have fallen into this space where we get to do socially conscious books, but we try to make sure that our stories are also fun and center a childlike sensibility.”

At the end of the story, learners will know more about Milo. Invite learners to reflect on how their thinking changed about Milo from the beginning of the story to the end. Discuss how Milo questioned his assumptions and considered different possibilities. Ask why it’s important to practice this reflection process when meeting new people. Worksheet Robinson said that his illustrations are a combination of his research into the New York City subway system (which he has encountered during trips there from his Sacramento home), and his emotional connection to the topic, which colored his depictions of the other people riding the subway and visiting the prison. “We all have a memory bank of personalities and types of people we’re familiar with,” he noted. A text that flows like poetry . . . Glorious.” — The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred review When Milo and his sister get to the prison, Milo is so happy to see his mum. Yet, he is very surprised to see the boy and his dad from the train also visiting someone. Maybe you can’t really tell anything about anyone just by looking at them? Milo reimagines all the stories he has created for the people he drew on the train, and realises all the different situations and lives those people might live.

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Milo and his older sister are taking their monthly Sunday subway ride. On the train there are a variety of different fellow riders, like the businessman with the blank lonely face or the woman in a wedding dress with a pup in her handbag. To distract himself from what he's now feeling, Milo draws the lives of the people around him. Maybe that bride is off to her wedding. Maybe that boy in a suit has servants and gourmet crust-free sandwich squares waiting for him at home. But if this is what Milo thinks of these people, what must they assume about him? It really isn’t until Milo sees that the boy in the suit is going to the same place that he is that he starts to rethink things. The stories he made up earlier shift and grow kinder. And then, there’s his mom. It’s visiting hours at her correctional facility, and Milo shows her one picture he doesn’t want to change: The three of them eating ice cream on a stoop on a beautiful summer day. T (electrician): (4 stars). I guess I liked it. Surprise ending--I was wondering where it was going.

Harold and the Purple Crayon meets twenty-first-century urban realism . . .As in Jacqueline Woodson’s Visiting Day, the joy and parent-child love shine through . . . This poignant, thought-provoking story speaks volumes for how art can shift one’s perspectives and enable an imaginative alternative to what is . . . or seems to be.” — The Horn Book, starred review Milo’s story is my story,” Robinson said. “Like Milo, I grew up with an incarcerated parent. As a child, I felt a lot of shame and embarrassment. It was difficult not all that long ago to talk about it. I recognize that my story is not that unique. I feel compelled to let kids who feel the shame I felt then know that they’re not alone: their experience matters.”In When Milo gets anxious, he imagines stories about the people around him. He studies their faces and conjures up images of what their lives must be like. Milo captures his imagination by drawing his visions in his sketchpad. De la Peña said that not only have the two established a strong connection in the past five years,, but they complement each other well. “Sometimes my text is a bit heavy for a picture book; his illustrations temper that heavy text with whimsy and joy. He’s one person I want to do more books with, because I know he’ll bring joy to it.” Milo is on a long subway ride with h is older sister. To pass the time, he studies the faces around him and makes pictures of their lives. There’s the whiskered man with the crossword puzzle; Milo imagines him playing solitaire in a cluttered apartment full of pets. There’s the wedding-dressed woman with a little dog peeking out of her handbag; Milo imagines her in a grand cathedral ceremony. And then there’s the boy in the suit with the bright white sneakers; Milo imagines him arriving home to a castle with a drawbridge and a butler. But when the boy in the suit gets off on the same stop as Milo–walking the same path, going to the exact same place–Milo realizes that you can’t really know anyone just by looking at them.