Sandy Brehl's Reviews > Just Like Millie

Using first person voice and her immeasurable talent as an illustrator, Lauren Castillo has provided a gentle, quiet story that portrays a gentle but anxious young girl, one whose comfort zone is very close to home and very self-protective. After moving to a new home in a new city, she is lucky to ahve a mother who does not push or pressure, but continues to offer openings to meet and chat with new folks, without forcing situations on her cautious daughter.
Enter the wonderful Millie, a dog with the just-right0-amount of social skills to model her getting-to-know-you style, building a bridge for the young girl to take early steps to meet and interact with others.
We so often see books about SEL issues for boys, or girls, whose behaviors tend toward over-reaching, over-loud, and over-managing social situations. Self-regulation is often the subtle (or not so subtle) undercurrent of those stories. All too often a very quiet, even clingy young girl is not seen as needing structured support or finesse from parents. This is a gorgeous, lyrical exception and also suits readers of every style, reminding us all that individual differences have a palce among us, should be recognized as nothing more than personality differences, which we all have.