Milo Imagines the World

h1 February 1st, 2021 by jules


“Maybe you can’t really know anyone just by looking at their face.”

Wise words from Milo Imagines the World (Putnam, February 2021), written by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson.

I’ve got a review of this one over at BookPage. That is here, and below are some spreads.

Enjoy!



 


“The train bucks back into motion as he and his sister squeeze onto bench seats.
The whiskered man beside Milo has a face of concentration. A businessman has a blank, lonely face. The wedding-dresseed woman near the far door has a face made out of light, while the dog peeking out of her handbag has no face at all, just a long, lolling tongue.”

(Click spread to enlarge)


 


“Milo imagines the grand cathedral ceremony where the couple will be pronounced husband and wife. Imagines the groom whisking his new bride to an awaiting hot air balloon, where the pilot loads them in with blankets and blasts the heat. And up, up
they go, hand in hand, beyond the concrete walls of the city, into the infinite blue.”

(Click spread to enlarge)


 


“The spell is broken when a crew of breakers bounds onto the train, announcing,
‘You all ready for a show?’ Several curious faces look up as the beat drops. And now the girls are walking up walls, theye’re whirling around poles, they’re backflipping over shopping bags. When the train pulls into the next stop, they collect a few dollars
and scramble for another car.”

(Click spread to enlarge)


 


“He’s even more surprised when the boy joins the long line to pass through the metal detector. Milo’s sister suddenly bends to give him a hug. ‘I didn’t mean to snap at you,’ she says. She takes his hand, adding, ‘You have your picture ready?’ He nods, feeling the warmth of her fingers. As they slowly shuffled forward, Milo studies the boy in the suit, his dad rubbing his thin shoulders. And a thought occurs to him: Maybe you can’t really know anyone just by looking at their face.”
(Click spread to enlarge)


 


“When they separate, Milo flips through his pad until he finds the right picture.
‘I made this for you,’ he says, holding it up. And he watches for the smile he hopes
will spread across his mom’s face.”

(Click spread to enlarge)


 


(Click cover to enlarge)


 

* * * * * * *

MILO IMAGINES THE WORLD. Copyright © 2021 by Matt de la Peña. Illustrations © 2021 by Christian Robinson. Illustrations reproduced by permission of the publisher, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House, New York.





One comment to “Milo Imagines the World

  1. I’m really excited about this one! Thanks for sharing!


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