Just Like Millie
By (Author) Lauren Castillo
Illustrated by Lauren Castillo
Walker Books Ltd
Walker Books Ltd
1st August 2024
1st August 2024
United Kingdom
Children
Fiction
813.6
Paperback
40
Width 226mm, Height 248mm, Spine 6mm
195g
In a gentle story from Caldecott Honoree Lauren Castillo, a shy young girl finds exploring her new city and making friends overwhelming until a rescue dog helps her uncover the bravery that was always in her.
A young girl and her mother move to an apartment in a new city. Despite her mum's efforts to take her out, the girl would rather play by herself in their cosy home she feels just fine on her own. Meeting any children her age has her hiding behind her mothers legs, and invitations to group activities has her in tears. That is, until she meets Millie, a rescue dog who is not too big, not too small, and kisses her arm when the girl nervously reaches out. With Millie, saying hello to new people isnt so scary, and maybe making a friend isnt either.
Through emotionally honest prose and soft, expressive illustrations, Lauren Castillo explores one girls shyness and anxiety and how one dogs love helps her open up in a warm picture book that reminds readers of how the right companion can make the world feel like a less frightening place.
Lauren Castillo has illustrated many books for children, including This is a Story by John Schu and Happy Like Soccer by Maribeth Boelts. Lauren Castillo is also the author-illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Nana in the City. She lives in Pennsylvania, USA the setting of Just Like Millie with her two rescue dogs, who helped her acclimate to the city when she first moved there.