The ONE That Made Me Look Again

Sometimes, it’s a children’s book that stops you in your tracks. I have a daily ritual: I read two picture books to my kids every night. It’s our moment of pause, a rhythm that grounds us. And often, it's also where I discover the most powerful stories.

Recently, we read Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson. It hasn’t left me since.

On the surface, it’s about a boy sketching the people he sees on a subway ride. But really, it’s about how we fill in the blanks in other people’s stories. How we project, assume, invent.

Milo is on his way somewhere important. And when we discover he’s visiting his mother in jail, the story cracks open, quietly, tenderly.

It reminded me that the best picture books offer something for both child and adult. A way to hold complexity with clarity. To dismantle the  assumptions not with lectures, but with curiosity and care.

As someone who works at the intersection of storytelling, identity, and culture, I’m always drawn to narratives that invite us to look again. To stay open.

Milo Imagines the World is one of those books that lingers gently.
If you find a copy, I hope you give it a read. Maybe even aloud.
It’s one of those stories that reminds you: there’s always more to see, and more to understand.

---

---