Miles Ahead

by Minh Lê, Lynnor Bontigao (Illustrator)

An adorable dog helps his family assemble a new gift after a present for a new baby goes missing in this new warm and funny picture book from the award-winning creator of Drawn Together.

Road trip! There’s a new baby cousin in the family and this boy and his dog, Miles, can’t wait to take a trip to deliver them a shiny new present. There’s only one in all the chaos of packing, the present has gone missing! In a rush to recover it, the boy encourages his family to retrace their steps around the house, but the only things they can find are an old blankie, a favorite stuffie, and his beloved booties. Luckily, Miles has excellent canine smarts and just might be able to sniff out a solution. . .

Told with lively dialogue, playful, detailed illustrations, and a clever ending, here is a story about one family’s discovery of what makes a gift truly special.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

40 pages, Library Binding

Published April 28, 2026

About the author

Minh Lê is the author of Drawn Together illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat and Let Me Finish! (named an NPR Best Book of 2016) illustrated by Isabel Roxas (both published by Disney-Hyperion). He is also writing Green Lantern: Legacy, a graphic novel (illustrated by Andie Tong) for the new DC Comics middle grade imprint, DC Zoom. As a member of the kidlit consortium The Niblings, he writes about children's literature at Bottom Shelf Books and for a variety of publications, including the New York Times, The Horn Book, and HuffPost.

Reviews

[Read Ribbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Minh Le has written a new book about an Asian family that is preparing for road trip to go see a new cousin. The first part of the book shows how the son and his dog Miles work to get themselves ready for the round-trip. Then we see the family suddenly delayed when no one remembered to bring the gift for the new baby. That starts a desperate hunt for the gift in the house. As they look for the gift, they come across many things that reminds them of when the son was little. Unsuccessful at finding the gift, the hunt does uncover an alternative and reminds everyone what really makes a gift special. The reader will enjoy the fun twist at the end of the book. The use of talking bubbles throughout the book makes it a good read along book for inviting readers in on the dialog. It is a nice example of how families from different cultures can often share common problems.

[Dest · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sweet story about getting a present for a new baby cousin. I think the title refers to the saying, "I'm miles ahead of you." The family is running around trying to find a store-bought gadget gift, but the dog leads them to a more heartfelt solution. This book will probably stir up questions about which items we cherish from our early years.

There were some nice details in the illustrations, like the sister helping the grandparent put on their shoes. And there's a fun little twist on the final page where the reader gets to see what happened to the lost gift.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A family is ready for a road trip to see a new baby cousin but when they are about to leave they remember they had left behind the gift they had bought.
I liked how they were reminded of things from the past and how they prepared a better gift for the new baby cousin, one that might not be the new baby gadget but has more meaning to them.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where, oh where, is the lost present for baby? A little dog helps his family find gifts that matter when the original one is lost. If you look closely, you might even find the lost gift.