Milo and his teddy bear, Millie, undertake an excursion that preschoolers will want to travel with them again and again.
Jedda Robaard gives youngsters a hint of what's ahead when Milo holds up a paper boat he's made: "This is Millie and me," the book begins, with boy and bear set against a white background. A turn of the page reveals the two sailing inside the paper boat as they spy a giant duck. Gentle blue watercolor waves keep them afloat. "We sailed past a busy city," the text says, with buildings made of what could be colored blocks, "which was guarded by fearsome frogs." Milo pulls Millie back up into the boat as the harmless-looking wide-eyed frogs swim nearby. The two don rain hats when the seas get rough ("We sailed right into a terrible storm"), and luckily get rescued by "a huge whale." The collage boat and its passengers always remain the focus in Robaard's illustrations, even when they land in a "swirling whirlpool" on a page dominated by blue spiraling brushstrokes. The book closes with Milo and Millie safely tucked in bed. Though boy and bear take their journey solo, youngsters will know they are never at risk. Milo always finds his way to safety, and keeps Millie close at hand. Directions for making one's own "little boat" round out this satisfying adventure.
The author-artist expertly travels the line between fantasy and the familiar, acknowledging the importance of imagination in a child's everyday life. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness