Welcome Is a Wonderful Word
by Gyo Fujikawa
Date: 1980
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: Open Library
Jenny and her two friends welcome a new girl who has moved into their neighborhood.
(synopsis from Amazon; see it on Goodreads)
This appears to be a companion book (a prequel, actually) to Jenny Learns a Lesson, which I reviewed last month. In this book, Jenny notices that a house that has been for sale has been sold and there are some new neighbours. Hoping that there will be a little girl there, Jenny goes to investigate. But the kid won't open the door. So Jenny and her friends, Sam and Nicholas, decide to make the new girl feel as welcome as possible.
It's a sweet story, although it's more simple than Jenny Learns a Lesson, and doesn't have as much of a message. The fact that the children go out of their way to be friendly to the new girl is nice, but it doesn't make for a really interesting plot.
Just like in the companion book, the illustrations are a cute mix of colour and black-and-white. I think I preferred the pictures in Jenny Learns a Lesson, though.
I'm trying to track down some of the Gyo Fujikawa favourites I read as a child. Unfortunately, I can't remember specific titles... but I'll know them when I see them. I don't think I read Welcome Is a Wonderful Word or Jenny Learns a Lesson when I was a child. There's really no reason they can't be enjoyed by the kids of today, though.
Quotable moment:
Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5
Overall: 3.67 out of 5
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