Ways to Welcome

by Linda Ashman, Joey Chou (Illustrator)

Overview

Ways to Welcomes is a sweet, timely picture book from writer Linda Ashman and illustrator Joey Chou about kindness and connection, ideal for schools and classrooms.

A welcome can be warm
Or cold,
Shy and quiet,
Big and bold.
An offering,
A smiling face,
That lights an unfamiliar place.
There’s lots of ways to show we care and welcome friends from everywhere!

When everyone knows they’re welcome, the world is a better place—and you might just make a new friend. This sweet, timeless picture book about small acts of kindness in a big world is one that kids and parents are sure to reach for again and again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250844880
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	06/21/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	412,769
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Linda Ashman is the author of more than thirty-five picture books, and the creator of The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books. Her books have been included on the “best of the year” lists of the New York Times, Parenting and Childmagazines, the New York Public Library, Bank Street College of Education, and the International Reading Association. She now lives in North Carolina with her family.

Joey Chou has illustrated many picture books, including Ruby’s Chinese New Year and Hello, My Name Is . . . He was born in Taiwan and moved to sunny California in his early teens. There he received his BFA from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. Joey works by day as a visual development artist on feature animated films and by night as a picture book illustrator.

Editorial Reviews

"Ashman and Chou look at some simple ways to say, 'Hello, friend. / I’m glad you’re here,' with acts of kindness and friendly gestures . . . Simple, stylized artwork in bright shades keep the focus on the interactions, and readers will delight in finding the blue butterfly in every scene. A springboard for readers to consider their own ways to welcome." —Kirkus Reviews

"Stories about inclusiveness, kindness, simple hospitality, and positive representations are all in high demand these days, and this attractive title fits the bill. Most libraries and preschools will find this a welcome ­addition." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

06/01/2020

PreS-Gr 2—This is a sweet, poetic text about being welcome and inclusive. The text lacks a narrative story, instead providing rhymes encompassing the concepts of kindness, beginning visually with a boy starting a new school and ending with a new family being welcomed into a town. The illustrations follow a diverse goup of children who embark on various activities: attending story time, visiting the park, gardening, and arriving at an airport, among other things. The book culminates with a neighborhood picnic and the words, "It sends a message loud and clear. Hello, friend. I'm glad you're here." The brightly colored, full-bleed illustrations have a collage feel and are made with simple, geometric shapes. Unfortunately, the depiction of multiple characters' experiences muddles the story, making it hard to follow. Nevertheless, stories about inclusiveness, kindness, simple hospitality, and positive representations are all in high demand these days, and this attractive title fits the bill. VERDICT Most libraries and preschools will find this a welcome addition.—Amy Lilien-Harper, Wilton Lib., CT

School Library Journal

2020-04-12
Ashman and Chou look at some simple ways to say, “Hello, friend. / I’m glad you’re here,” with acts of kindness and friendly gestures.

From waves and handshakes among humans to nose-to-nose sniffing between two dogs, the text looks at the many ways one can share a welcome with someone else, be they old or young, well known or someone new to you. Retrieving a blown-away hat, helping a new student find their way, showering love on a newly adopted dog, holding a homemade sign at the airport arrivals gate, and providing toad abodes and birdhouses are all put forth in the gently rhyming text. ”An offering, / A smiling face / That lights an unfamiliar place” shows neighbors bringing garden largesse and a neighborhood picnic invitation to a family that’s just moved in—cardboard boxes are piled outside, and they were previously seen arriving at the airport. That neighborhood picnic ends the book on a high note, people from all walks of life and every shade (many from previous pages) sharing a wonderful day together. Two women wear hijab; a small kid uses a wheelchair; and there is a same-sex couple raising a baby. Simple, stylized artwork in bright shades keep the focus on the interactions, and readers will delight in finding the blue butterfly in every scene.

A springboard for readers to consider their own ways to welcome. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews