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 mother’s efforts to take her out, the girl would rather play by herself in their cozy home—she feels just fine on her own. Introductions to children her age have her hiding behind her mother’s legs, and invitations to group activities have 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 isn’t so scary . . . and maybe making a friend isn’t either. Through emotionally honest prose and soft, expressive illustrations, Lauren Castillo explores one girl’s shyness and anxiety—and how one dog’s 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.
SELECTION
| 2024 Junior Library Guild Selection
The art, created with ink, watercolors, and soft pastels, sensitively portrays the characters’ emotions while depicting their lively neighborhood. A heartening picture book on a timeless topic: making friends. —Booklist (starred review)
Castillo’s tale persuades without sounding prescriptive, and her signature artwork highlights both a close, transformative bond, and the way that new connections made voluntarily can ease upheaval. —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Castillo’s ink, watercolor, and soft pastel illustrations show the girl’s budding courage: at first she’s always glued to Mom, but with every encounter her face and posture relax more until she finds herself smiling and even waving hello. . . filled with robust colors, cleverly helps young audiences focus in on minute but crucial changes in facial expression and body language. —The Horn Book
Castillo’s signature thick-lined, textured art creates cozy neighborhood settings that beautifully accentuate this gentle story about the power of connection. . . With the endpapers acting as establishing shots, the illustrations—mostly double-page spreads with plenty of white space—feel almost cinematic in their slice-of-life perspectives. Careful readers might notice a few easter eggs hidden in the illustrations throughout, including some of Castillo’s other books and the black dog that eventually becomes Millie’s friend. A sweet, child-centered tribute to fur babies everywhere. —Kirkus Reviews
Caldecott Honor winner Castillo’s vibrantly colored ink, watercolor, and pastel drawings add texture and life to every detail. . . The quiet story is given life by its drawings’ dynamic use of space, ranging from full-page, wordless scenes to smaller vignetted moments to a particularly sweet introduction to Millie. . . Millie’s constantly wagging tail makes this story a hopeful read-aloud for any family whose members struggle with shyness. —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Lauren Castillo has illustrated many books for children, including Happy Like Soccer by Maribeth Boelts and Yard Sale by Eve Bunting. Lauren Castillo is also the author-illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Nana in the City. She lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania—the setting of Just Like Millie—with her two rescue dogs, who helped her acclimate to the city when she first moved there.
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 mother’s efforts to take her out, the girl would rather play by herself in their cozy home—she feels just fine on her own. Introductions to children her age have her hiding behind her mother’s legs, and invitations to group activities have 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 isn’t so scary . . . and maybe making a friend isn’t either. Through emotionally honest prose and soft, expressive illustrations, Lauren Castillo explores one girl’s shyness and anxiety—and how one dog’s 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.
Awards
SELECTION
| 2024 Junior Library Guild Selection
Praise
The art, created with ink, watercolors, and soft pastels, sensitively portrays the characters’ emotions while depicting their lively neighborhood. A heartening picture book on a timeless topic: making friends. —Booklist (starred review)
Castillo’s tale persuades without sounding prescriptive, and her signature artwork highlights both a close, transformative bond, and the way that new connections made voluntarily can ease upheaval. —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Castillo’s ink, watercolor, and soft pastel illustrations show the girl’s budding courage: at first she’s always glued to Mom, but with every encounter her face and posture relax more until she finds herself smiling and even waving hello. . . filled with robust colors, cleverly helps young audiences focus in on minute but crucial changes in facial expression and body language. —The Horn Book
Castillo’s signature thick-lined, textured art creates cozy neighborhood settings that beautifully accentuate this gentle story about the power of connection. . . With the endpapers acting as establishing shots, the illustrations—mostly double-page spreads with plenty of white space—feel almost cinematic in their slice-of-life perspectives. Careful readers might notice a few easter eggs hidden in the illustrations throughout, including some of Castillo’s other books and the black dog that eventually becomes Millie’s friend. A sweet, child-centered tribute to fur babies everywhere. —Kirkus Reviews
Caldecott Honor winner Castillo’s vibrantly colored ink, watercolor, and pastel drawings add texture and life to every detail. . . The quiet story is given life by its drawings’ dynamic use of space, ranging from full-page, wordless scenes to smaller vignetted moments to a particularly sweet introduction to Millie. . . Millie’s constantly wagging tail makes this story a hopeful read-aloud for any family whose members struggle with shyness. —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Author
Lauren Castillo has illustrated many books for children, including Happy Like Soccer by Maribeth Boelts and Yard Sale by Eve Bunting. Lauren Castillo is also the author-illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Nana in the City. She lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania—the setting of Just Like Millie—with her two rescue dogs, who helped her acclimate to the city when she first moved there.
