"These monthly train rides are never ending, and as usual, Milo is a shook-up soda. Excitement stacked on top of worry, on top of confusion, on top of love."
Milo and his sister are on the subway train in New York City. To pass the time Milo draws sketches in his drawing book. He observes the people who board the train and then draws imaginary scenes which show where each of these people might be going. The business man who is working on a crossword puzzle might be heading home to his fifth floor apartment where his only friends are his cats, some resident rats and his cage of parakeets. Next on board is a young boy in a suit. His hair is neat and his shoes are bright white. Perhaps this boy is a prince heading home to his castle where the butler waits with a plate of "crust-free sandwich squares". A bride steps onto the train. Milo draws her wedding scene in the cathedral and then he imagines the happy couple flying away in a hot air balloon.
Milo and his sister finally reach their destination. Milo is amazed to see the boy in the suit in the same line. Where are they?
Milo's "even more surprised when the boy joins the long line to pass through the metal detector".
Mum is wearing an orange jump suit. A few pages back we that mum reads Milo bedtime stories over the phone. Near the beginning of this book we read Milo and his sister make this trip each month.
This book is clearly set in New York City. This is especially evident when a group of break dances jump into the train carriage. People like this are called pan handlers. They ride the train for a stop or two then, after passing around their hat, they jump off the train and board another one. At the same time this is a universal story of hope and family. You might be thinking not many of the children in our classes or library groups would have a parent in jail but my former school was in a town with a maximum security jail and so this is a book which some of those children would certainly relate to. And for other children this book provides a gentle way to discuss the lives of children who live in very different circumstances.
Christian Robinson lived with his grandmother as a child because for most of his childhood his mother was in jail. "As a kid, of course, not having my my mother there was painful, certainly, but probably even more painful thing was holding on to that experience myself and internalising it and feeling disconnected, not having that connection with others. So I think this book has the potential to be healing, to create conversations, to create empathy and compassion."
There is also the important message in this book about the way we do judge people by their appearance. Milo discovers this is not necessarily true and his innocent assumptions about the people on the train may need to be revised. We are lucky to see his new ideas as he fills his drawing book with a new set of pictures.
"Maybe you can't really know anyone just by looking at their face".
Take a few minutes to listen Matt and Christian talking about their very personal connections with the story in this book. Here is the trailer from Penguin Kids. You can see art from this book at Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast.
This book is:
Smart and sweet - School Library Journal
A memorable, thought-provoking story poised to make a difference for many. Kirkus Star review
This is the book that I continue to think about long after I’ve put it down or read it to my kids. School Library Journal There are three bonus videos on this site too.
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. Horn Book
... this sweet but never saccharine story is a classic in the making. BookPage
In this post I have revealed Milo's destination but I am so happy the back cover blurb does not give away the 'secret' in this book. Milo Imagines the World is also on the 2022 shortlist for the Kate Greenaway Medal.
This is the third book in a series by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson:
You could compare this book with I am the Subway by Kim Hyo-eun. With a group of older students you could also look at this wordless book from Canada:
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