BOOKS

Welcome: A Mo Willems Guide for New Arrivals

by Mo WILLEMS
illus. by Mo Willems. 32p. Disney/Hyperion. May 2017. Tr $15.99. ISBN 9781484767467.
COPY ISBN
Baby-Toddlers—A humorous, loving take on the excitement and nervousness, tenderness and heartache, and worry and fear of new parenthood. Bold graphics in vivid colors are interspersed with equally bold text in various font sizes. The front and back covers feature large mirrors to include youngsters in the story, making each reading unique to the two people sharing it. Most pages end with the refrain, "while we read this book together" to reinforce the idea of sharing stories and laptime together. Each page starts with a statement, such as, "THANK YOU FOR JOINING US/your arrival has been anxiously awaited." Upcoming highlights focus on music, cats, and stories. The graphic drawings are designed to look like universal signs, and while they will certainly engage young readers, they are also designed to make the presumably older book sharer chuckle. Willems perfectly captures the essence of parenthood: "We will strive to make your stay as comfortable as possible. However…there will be TURBULENCE. There will be UNEXPECTED EVENTS. There will be HUMAN ERROR. Fortunately, we are happy to provide you LOVE. At no extra cost."
VERDICT A fun addition to parenting collections and to possibly circulate next to Knuffle Bunny, Pigeon, and Elephant and Piggie.
Reviewed by Lisa Kropp, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY
An offstage narrator addresses listeners using the language of the hospitality industry: "THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. / Your arrival has been anxiously awaited...PLEASE / ENJOY YOUR STAY." Our world is presented as a cruise ship-like dwelling place: "Many activities are available for you to enjoy, including, but not limited to: / SLEEPING and WAKING, / EATING and BURPING, / POOPING and MORE POOPING." Most of the illustrations look like road signs, and because this is a Mo Willems book, the whole thing is brilliantly executed and hilarious. It's also best suited for adults. Even precocious children will be nonplussed by features such as "YOUR LOG-IN CODE" with the corresponding illustration showing rows of white cubes in which to print one's username, "submit log-in-code," and, of course, "resubmit log-in code." ("Do not worry. You do not need to know any LOG-IN codes, yet. Lucky you.") The "...while we read this book together" refrain is comforting, but a real baby, like the one to whom the narrator is speaking, will be most engaged by the dichromatic graphics and the front-and-back-of-book mirrors ("OUR RESEARCH / INDICATES / This is / YOU"). nell beram
 , Jul 01, 2017

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