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Staff Pick
Mo Willems uses whimsical street signs and funny, sweet text to welcome children into their new families, preparing them to navigate ice cream disasters and be loved unconditionally. With fun use of repetition, and lots of laughs, Welcome is a delightful way for kids and parents, or others, to read together. Recommended By Gigi L., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Mo Willems' introductory guide for new arrivals welcomes readers to the world using bold, eye-catching graphics and clever text that is perfect for reading aloud. With a fun and heartwarming message, Welcome playfully interacts with the reader with its meta-humor, while addressing such topics such as injustice, cats, friendship, and family. This one-of-a-kind guide to the world is a must-have for infants and new parents alike.
Review
"Make way for a new baby-shower hit. Bold, digital graphics and sans-serif type define the design aesthetic of this sturdy book, with its heavy cover boards (each with a mirror on the inside) and cardstock pages. Its construction and design make it accessible to the babies it seeks to welcome to the world and to shared reading, while its textual content will affirm the feelings and aspirations of new parents besotted with their babies and awed by the responsibility of welcoming them and guiding them through life. Willems' characteristic humor comes through in such instructions as "PLEASE ENJOY YOUR STAY," which details a plethora of enjoyable activities: "SLEEPING and WAKING, / EATING and BURPING, / POOPING and MORE POOPING." And compassionate honesty shines through on the page reading "WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU / Not everything is as it should be. / There is unkindness and fighting and wastefulness and soggy toast." Throughout, the refrain "while we read this book together" affirms the value of shared reading and the bonding it affords between child and adult. Is the text aimed more at adults than children in this reading transaction? Yes, but the book as a whole is about the relationship between child and parent, exemplified by the synergy of child-friendly design and adult-affirming text. Welcome yourself, little book." (Picture book. 0-3) COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Review
"Though unlikely, it is possible that some new parents are not yet familiar with the brilliant Mo Willems (Knuffle Bunny; I Will Take a Nap; Waiting Is Not Easy; A Big Guy Took My Ball!). Fortunately, Welcome is here to rectify that. But in addition to introducing the world to the beloved Caldecott Honoree, this "Guide for New Arrivals" serves as a hilarious manual for babies. Boldly illustrated pages instruct an infant audience to "PLEASE ENJOY YOUR STAY. Many activities are available for you to enjoy, including, but not limited to: SLEEPING and WAKING/ EATING and BURPING/ POOPING and MORE POOPING." Highlights of life are touched upon ("We are pleased to inform you there will be MUSIC [CATS/STORIES]") as well as pitfalls ("WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU Not everything is as it should be. There is unkindness and fighting and wastefulness and soggy toast. You will not be exempt from any of these things").
Each cardstock spread features silhouetted images in street sign-like frames, often in yield-sign yellow: a toothless smiling baby, two halves of a bagel and a clever tryptic illustrating different kinds of stories: true (a figure in a boat catching a small fish), made up (same figure with a giant fish at the end of the line) and silly (a shark in a boat with a person on the line). With its deadpan humor and wry sweetness, Welcome clearly has those caring for small children in mind, but the bottom-of-the-page refrain, "while we read this book together" speaks to the expectation that there will be a baby or toddler on the lap of the reader.
Baby shower gift, anyone? Better than a case of Pampers!" Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor
COPYRIGHT(2017) Shelf Awareness, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Review
Willems (the Elephant and Piggie series) rolls out the red carpet for a new baby writing in a voice that’s part preflight safety demonstration (“There will be turbulence”) part waiter’s spiel (“Of our current offerings I can personally recommend your being right here with me”) and part customer service hotline (“Someone is standing by 24 hours a day 7 days a week”). Iconographic high contrast drawings rendered in the style of road signage should hold the attention of very young eyes (as will embedded Mylar mirrors) even if the actual content eludes them. The real audience is new parents who will revel in having their devotion mirrored back to them and chuckle at the many knowing jokes (“If you have any further questions/ Do not hesitate to call or flail about or scream like a banshee”). And they’ll be grateful that Willems offers a modicum of hope regarding the world that the newborn will inherit: “We are happy to report there are people working day and night on making this a better place to be.” Up to age 2. Agent: Marcia Wernick Wernick amp; Pratt. (May)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."
About the Author
Mo Willems, a New York Times #1 best-selling author and illustrator, has been awarded a Caldecott Honor on three occasions, for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity. His celebrated Elephant & Piggie series has won two Theodor Seuss Geisel Medals and five Geisel Honors. Other favorites include Leonardo, the Terrible Monster and The Story of Diva and Flea.
Mo began his career as a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he garnered six Emmy Awards. He lives with his family in Massachusetts.