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Welcome: A Mo Willems Guide for New Arrivals



Welcome: A Mo Willems Guide to New Arrivals
By Mo Willems
Hyperion Books for Children, Disney Book Group, 2017. Picture Book.

Mo Willems. That name is read on a book and authors, parents, and children alike will all smile knowing that something good is about to be read. And this book is no different. It is a picture book for the very youngest readers—the babies in the world. It welcomes the newcomers to the world and then explains (similar to an instruction manual) what they will (or might) experience. There is a lot more text in this book than one might expect for a book for babies. But this is the type of book to read to little ones who haven’t figured out how to crawl or toddle yet. This book is perfect to read to the babies that are still enchanted with cuddling, sleeping, eating, and pooping. This is a way for parents to start the habit of reading while also expressing love and learning how to talk to babies (often “while we read this book together” as is the most recurring refrain). So, if you know a little one who likes to sit and read with you…and isn’t old enough to toddle away yet—this is the book to read. Or, if you happen to know someone who has just had a baby or is about to have a baby—this is the book to give them. So much is expressed in the pages of this book. And it is a good way for baby to learn that books can help us figure out the world and for parents to learn that books can help us get quality time with baby.

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