Welcome Home

PreS-Gr 2–Home is a place where family and friends make someone feel loved. In this sweet and simple story, a new baby is welcomed home for the first time and everyone is there. Greeted by loving grandparents, a doting aunt and uncle, playful siblings and cousins, as well as some friendly neighbors, this baby is embraced with open arms. Throughout the day, whether feeding, napping, or being changed, the child brings joy to the household. Although the arrival of a new baby is more complicated than this story suggests, the emphasis is on all the people in a newborn’s life and their ensuing happiness. Acrylic illustrations combine a cool background with often warmer-toned characters; the baby is a pinkish light tan, and the people who surround the baby have skin tones that range from lighter pink to deep brown. In each spread, pets, the decor, and stuffed animals are shown smiling as well. The rhyming couplets used throughout never feel forced and follow a patterned structure that young readers will quickly grasp. Even though this multigenerational household is also multiracial, this family appears to have a very traditional structure, nearly idyllic. Pair it with books that display different kinds of families.