Welcome: A Mo Willems Guide for New Arrivals, by Mo Willems | Book Review

The Children’s Book Review | June 6, 2017

Welcome: A Mo Willems Guide for New Arrivals

Written by Mo Willems

Age Range: 0-2

Hardcover: 32 pages

Publisher: Hyperion Books (2017)

ISBN: 978-148476746-7

What to Expect: Sensory interaction, high-contrast, baby-friendly, humor

It is difficult being a baby. The world is strange, language is strange, people are strange – in fact, everything is strange. Luckily, now there is a guide that can help you make sense of it all. Parent willing to read guide not included.

Welcome is full of humor, love, and baby-friendly stimuli. Written with humor designed to appeal to adults and children alike, it is full of gentle word-play and imagery, designed to not only help baby to feel loved and stimulated, but also to help parents to connect with their baby. Even two years after my youngest was young enough for this book to apply to him, I still find myself smiling at images designed to remind me that dirty nappies and colic-induced screaming were dealt with as acts of love. Designed in the style of a hotel-room welcome guide, Welcome makes love a key concept; the humor which shapes this volume is guaranteed to sooth not only baby, but the most frazzled of new parents as well. Almost as importantly, it is designed to encourage that first, essential contact between baby and book which will foster later reading skills: with simple yet nuanced language, baby-friendly high-contrast images and sensory stimuli such as mirrors, and interactive activities and questions designed to encourage reading as a parent-baby activity, this wonderful volume is ideal as a baby’s first introduction to reading.

Available Here: 

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.

Welcome: A Mo Willems Guide for New Arrivals, by Mo Willems, was reviewed by Dr. Jen Harrison. Discover more books like Song of the Current by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Mo Willems and New Baby.