It's about welcoming people, whatever their background, and sharing culture. The welcome might be for new friends or neighbours, and it might be for people who speak a language different to that which you speak.
A Hundred Thousand Welcomes uses words of welcome in languages other than English, incorporated into the English language poem, to demonstrate how a simple welcome can be offered. It also expresses the specific cultural meanings, customs and food linked to such welcomes.
As the book's introduction explains, there are 'almost as many ways of making someone feel welcome as there are people on the planet'.
From Japanese and German to Urdu and Indonesian, there are thirteen languages represented. For each, the page also includes phonetic spelling to help readers learn how to pronounce the words. Look carefully for them, usually in a corner or along the bottom of the page.
The final greeting is the Irish blessing, céad mile fáilte (a hundred thousand welcomes).
Author Mary Lee Donovan and illustrator Lian Cho have created a beautiful, warm and heartfelt picture book, which reminds us all how being welcoming can open our lives to valuable new friends and experiences, and increase cultural understanding.
A Hundred Thousand Welcomes is highly recommended, and includes notes from the author and illustrator, and a pronounciation guide, and a selection of further reading.
Title: A Hundred Thousand Welcomes
Author: Mary Lee Donovan
Illustrator: Lian Cho
Publisher: Harper Collins, $
19.99
Publication Date: December 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780063228658
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book
