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, Family, Dogs, Fiction, Animals, Road Trip, Childrens

34 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

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever and vibrant story about an active family who uncovers a lot of memories while searching for a misplaced gift. A lesson is learned about what objects retain meaning in our lives and what makes a great gift.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A darling story of a young child who is more than ready to take a road trip to visit the new baby cousin in his family. When the multigenerational family piles into the car they realize that they have forgotten the gift for the new baby. Everyone heads back into the house to find it. The original gift is never found (until the end of the story) but the boy finds his old baby blanket, his sister finds her old stuffed rabbit and his father finds his old baby booties. The boy wraps up the found items and includes a well-loved board book as well. Now that the family has a gift for the new baby, they are, once again, on their way.

It might be a stretch for storytime children to understand the point, but the rushing around and enthusiasm for the trip will be appreciated.

[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.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miles and his boy are going on a Road Trip! To meet the new baby cousin.
Packing commences and readers see hints of the neatly wrapped gift for the new baby. Everything is loaded in the car but wait - Where is the gift? The hunt begins! With Miles in the lead to uncover the perfect gift.

I appreciated the word play - the double meaning of the title of the book and the content. Miles is the dog's name but going on a road trip involves miles; Miles leads the way in trying to find the lost gift, etc. It would be something fun to discuss while reading the book. Or a good intro. "Miles Ahead - what do you think that means?" Also, of course, do you have any mementos from when you were a baby?

Take a peek under the dust jacket - the book cover has different illustrations.

[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.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new baby cousin means packing for a road trip so the family can meet the new member of the family. Road trip means organizing and packing, long lists and many bags. Everyone and everything is loaded up and the family is about to set off when someone asks if they remembered to pack the gift. Now the search is on - inside the car and inside the house - as they try to track down the whereabouts of the baby gift. Instead, the family ends up taking a trip down memory lane as they rediscover their favorites from babyhood, until a “new” gift is found.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the illustrations were designed by digital means which is not my favorite type, the story was interesting and turned into something very sweet.
The family is off on a road trip to visit the newest addition, a baby cousin. Amid the hustle and bustle of packing, on my the gift is forgotten. With all the family members searching for it it will be found or will it. Sweet memories are unearthed during the search and a gift of the heart is found. Adorable.

[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.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A family is about to go on a road trip to see a new baby in the family. But it takes awhile to get packed. And then when they are finally leaving, they realize they haven't packed the baby's gift. They look everywhere to find the gift. The illustrations are really fun.

[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.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are great, and the story is even better.

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 4 out of 5]

a sweet story about family, memories, and meaningful gifts

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rollicking picture book, told entirely through dialogue, takes us inside the preparations of an extended family as they load up for a road trip to meet a new baby cousin. Even their perky West Highland terrier Miles excitedly helps his owner, a little boy with light brown skin and black hair, pack for the visit. Readers get to watch the somewhat chaotic departure unfold as each family member (also including a mom, dad, grandpa, and a teen sister) wrap up a gift for the newcomer, lug clean laundry upstairs, and shove meals into containers. Then it’s time for the “ROAD TRIP!!!” But, the proceedings grind to a halt when it turns out they’ve forgotten the gift and have to head back, following Miles’s dotted path through the house. The whereabouts of the gift remains a mystery (although readers will enjoy looking for and discovering it) but Miles ingeniously collects sweet keepsakes from the kids’ past – a well-loved stuffie, a favorite blanket, and a pair of tiny booties – so much more meaningful than the original purchase: the “latest fancy baby gadget”.   

Bontigao’s adorable digital artwork really makes this family saga pop; with all of its careening action and astonishing detail, it’s as though we’re watching a familiar sit-com. The kitchen emphasizes the family’s Asian heritage, with a rice cooker on its crowded counters and a fridge stocked with kimchi, soy sauce, and a big bottle of Sriracha.  The visually well-developed characters all benefit from emphatic black outlines, which helps them stand out against their cluttered house. Despite the teen’s messy room and intense engagement with her phone, we also see her tenderly helping Grandpa into his shoes. Meanwhile, the crowded walls teem with photos of the kids as babies, vintage snapshots, and one poignant group shot that includes a grandma who’s nowhere to be found among the busy preparations to leave. This story begs to be re-read in order to study the many details, absorb what’s being shown rather than told, and find the missing gift. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Kelly]

This book was cute.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the artwork in this book and the story is a sweet one about a family preparing for a road trip to see a new baby cousin. They can't find the present they bought, but as they look they discover memories, and items from when members of the family were babies. Like the speech bubbles as the text as well.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book design, use of font size for the text, and digital artwork all come together in this picture book [3.5 for me!] to complement an amusing but touching story of what matters in life. A family gathers up everything it needs for a road trip to meet the narrator's new baby cousin. In the rush, the baby's present gets misplaced, which prompts a search of the house, from top to bottom. As they look, they find items from the earlier years of the narrator and his sister, which they decide will make the perfect gift. Throughout the story, Miles, the family dog, makes various sounds. Readers won't realize their significance until the very last page when Miles spots the missing gift and makes just the right sound. This picture book is so cleverly written and illustrated with small moments that add extra layers to the main narrative.