Milo Walking
by James Howe; illus. by Sakika Kikuchi
Preschool    Abrams    40 pp.
11/23    9781419755200    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781647003425    $15.54

Every morning, Milo and his mom go for the same walk, “but what they see is never the same.” It’s not just seeing, either—they use all their senses. When they come across a rain puddle, Milo squats down, sees himself, then touches his hand’s wet reflection. Next, they hear some busy bees and smell some yellow flowers. They see a plane’s contrail in the sky and hear a woodpecker in a tree. When they reach a bench, both mother and son make some art, mom using watercolor and Milo using crayons to depict a tree in the park. Milo thinks the tree looks sad and gives it a goodbye hug, whispering, “I will see you tomorrow and you will be happy.” On the walk home, a friendly neighborhood dog (“full of slobber and good intentions”) licks Milo’s cheek, making him laugh. At home, Milo’s mother writes down the story he tells her about their walk—a nice way to recap the book’s events. While never using the term the five senses, Howe’s text naturally introduces them in affable, authentic-sounding dialogue and narration. Softly outlined in pencil, Kikuchi’s cheerful watercolors feature soothing pastel-toned yellows, blues, greens, and pinks. This outing contains just the right amount of detail to prompt audiences to make their own outdoor observations.

From the January/February 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.