The Welcome Home -- Book Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today we are sharing the third picture book of the week and all of them were released yesterday! Today's book is a fun story about interesting pets and trying to find the right animal for you. It is The Welcome Home by Amy June Bates. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8 and one the Editor's Pick on Amazon in Best Books for ages 3 to 5.

From the Publisher:

“The gorgeous illustrations and lovely storyline make this an instant classic.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

From the creator of The Big Umbrella comes another poetic and lushly illustrated picture book about the joy of companionship and there always being room for one more in this tale about the search for the perfect pet.

Mr. and Mrs. Gargleson-Bittle are looking for a change. Their life has become too quiet, and little changes like eating waffles only help for a moment. They decide to get a pet—but what kind should they have? First they welcome a snail into their home, then an elephant named Louise, then an aardvark named Sam.

One by one they come, and while the house is definitely no longer quiet, Mr. and Mrs. Gargleson-Bittle still have room and love for more. Could this waggy, lick-your-face puppy be what makes their family complete?

From Me:

Kids are going to love this book. The story is so fun. Afterall when Mr. and Mrs. Gargleson-Bittle want something more in their lives, and they describe the need that even young children will realize is a dog, but they get a snail. The kids will laugh. Afterall a snail is not exactly an animal to cuddle or play fetch with. 

I love how many different animals Mr. and Mrs. Gargleson-Bittle adopt as pets. The snail, an elephant, an aardvark, a whale and more. None are quite what they are looking for, but they love them all. They fill their house with the animals and then a puppy arrives at their door. They finally get their tail-wagging, lick your face, play fetch animal. It is a fun book that I know kids will love. 

I love how they open their home to so many different animals that the kids will be laughing. I can see this book as a fun one to read aloud. I imagine a classroom of kids guessing at what the next pet will be. It is such a fun book for a bedtime read or classroom read. I hope you will check it out!