Welcome Comfort

by Patricia Polacco

Santa! He's not even real!

It's not easy being Welcome Comfort-a foster child always moving from home to home and getting picked on by the kids at school. Even Christmas, the most wondrous time of the year, isn't so wondrous for Welcome, since he has no family, no presents, and no Santa Claus. But when Welcome meets Mr. Hamp, the school custodian, he finally finds a friend. And when Christmas comes around, Welcome is taken on an extraordinary adventure that changes his life forever.

"Sentimental but appealing, the story of a special inheritance is illustrated with lively pictures wrapped up in cheerful Christmas colors."

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens, Holiday, Fiction, Friendship, Kids

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Patricia Polacco is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator with around seventy beloved and award-winning books to her credit, including The Keeping Quilt, Pink and Say, The Blessing Cup, Chicken Sunday, and Thank You, Mr. Falker. She resides in Michigan.

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t my favorite Patricia Polacco book, and I’m not fond of Christmas books (especially around Christmas time) but Polacco can do little wrong in my eyes, and I did enjoy this book. As usual, she bases her fictional children’s picture books on real people and events.

This is the story of a foster child who is befriended by the school janitor, and grows up to give what he’s received. Santa Claus plays a role here, although it’s an unusual Christmas book.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Polacco always delivers touching and heartwarming with such an interesting dose of the unexpected or unusual in her storylines--I just love how she finds the magic and uniqueness in everyday life. Here we have a foster child named Welcome Comfort who arrives at school and is instantly teased for being a big overweight. But, the kind custodian takes Welcome under his wing and soon they form a strong friendship that makes Welcome believe that perhaps there really could be magic (and Santa Claus) in the world, after all.

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's a nice circle-of-life story about a lonely, bullied orphan, and the school janitor who befriends him. Polacco's artwork is always nice, but I'm guessing this will never be considered a Christmas classic.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A chubby young boy, with the unlikely name of Welcome Comfort, finds himself being befriended by his school's popular custodian, Quintin Hamp, in this poignant holiday tale from Patricia Polacco. Moved from foster home to foster home, Welcome has never known what it is to have a family, but all that changes when Quintin, and his wife Martha, take him under their wing, providing him with stability and loving friendship over the years. One thing they don't share, however, is their Christmases, which they spend "up north" somewhere...

Like many of author's other books, Welcome Comfort is based on the stories of people Patricia Polacco knows, although - given the conclusion of this one - I'm going to assume that there's an element of fantasy here. Then again, maybe not: every reader will have to decide for themselves! I think that children who have experienced ridicule, from their peers, particularly for their appearance, and children who have experienced the foster care system, with especially appreciate this holiday story, in which a unprepossessing young foster kid goes on to become someone very special indeed!

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome Comfort's life is nothing like his name. He doesn't feel welcomed at his new school because the kids tease him for being "fat" and as a foster kid without a family he doesn't feel much comfort. Then he meets, Quintin Hamp, the school custodian who quickly befriends Welcome and offers him friendship that is very much like family. The two do everything together...fishing, make toys and birdhouses, and whittle wood. When Welcome tells Quintin he doesn't believe in Santa, Quintin tells him that "believin' is seein'".

The Hamps have a secret and Comfort's life changes in more than ways than he could ever imagine.

Great book, beautiful illustrations, and a warm message.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another compassionate and thought-provoking story by Patricia Polacco. This story touches on bullying and kindness, believing in magic and finding your special place in the world. We have really enjoyed reading her books and will look for more at our local library.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patricia Polacco's characters always speak right to my heart.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book reads more like a novel with fascinating characters, interesting plot twists, and a most surprising and satisfying ending. Superbly crafted illustrations will enthrall younger listeners, and the sophisticated story will reward more experienced readers with a worthy challenge. Adult readers will enjoy a heartwarming story that reminds us that “believing is seeing” and suggests that there might be a Santa Claus waiting to be discovered in each of us.

[Norah Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

i ❤️ pat, but why did she write a book about a santa-breeding janitor? and who woke up and decided to name their child welcome comfort? hm.

[Stefanie Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great feel good story to go with a Christmas Magic theme. Welcome Comfort is the name of the new boy at school. He gets teased because of his size. The kind custodian befriends him and they have a close-knit relationship which develops into a cross between a father/son and a sibling relationship. Long story, as Polacco's usually are.

[Lydiathekicker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our family doesn't "do" Santa Clause, but, if we did, this would be my very favorite book.

[Breeana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome Comfort by Patricia Polacco is an often-undiscovered gem of a Christmas story. I have no idea why this story isn’t ten times as popular as The Polar Express, because it runs along the same lines, but is much more truly magical.

The story begins with the kind custodian at an elementary school, Quentin Hamp hearing some children teasing a little boy who is new to the school. Welcome Comfort, already burdened with a name that makes him a target is also overweight, and has been bounced around from foster home to foster home. Mr. Hamp immediately takes the little boy under his wing, and builds the kind of relationship with him that you just wish every child like him could find in an adult.

Come Christmas time, Welcome tells Mr. Hamp that he doesn’t believe in Santa, that “seeing is believing.” With his gentle brand of optimism, Mr. Hamp sets out to teach Welcome that he has it backwards … that in fact, “believing is seeing.” From there, the story takes a turn into the life-changing magic of love and kindness throughout the life of a child whose future could have turned out quite differently.

After one exceedingly magical Christmas, Welcome’s life is transformed. While he wakes from the night still not believing that Santa is real, he carries the lesson of “believing is seeing” throughout his life. I won’t spoil the true secret of the book by revealing it here, I will say that I find it impossible to read through the entire story without crying — every single time, which was always much to the delight of my students, and always resulted in a huge rush on the Patricia Polacco bin in my classroom library, and the shelf in the school’s.

If you’re looking for a new book for your Christmas collection, make sure to check out this one — and I promise you won’t be disappointed with any of her Christmas titles (and this is not the only one that makes me cry).

[babyhippoface · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touching story of a school janitor who befriends an overweight boy named Welcome Comfort who is being teased by other kids. Their friendship blossoms into a foster child/parent relationship, and the boy loves being part of this new family. But every Christmas Eve, the foster parents go up north, telling him, "it's just something we always do." Welcome is sad and alone, trying to force himself to believe in the Santa who has never brought him presents before. After Santa himself shows up in his room and takes him out for an amazing night spent delivering gifts in the sleigh, Welcome thinks it must have all been a wonderful dream. It would be years before he would understand that it was not a dream, after all, and Welcome becomes a vital part of the Christmas celebration.

An especially nice touch is the last page, where we see the story's cycle beginning again. This is a nice, quiet sort of read-aloud. Its theme reminds me of The Polar Express--"believing is seeing: unbelieving boy is taken on the ride of a lifetime and meets Santa, but still has difficulties believing until a lost gift makes it way back into his hands.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, man. This one really got to me. I can absolutely say it was Polacco's illustrations that did it. This incredibly talented author/illustrator has a knack for capturing emotion on her character's faces in such a way that even the hardest of hearts will empathize.

Imagine being a foster child, tossed from home to home. Next, imagine being overweight. Finally, imagine being named Welcome Comfort. This gives you a little insight into the main character.

However, Polacco does not dwell on the negative. In fact, it is so slightly mentioned, it instead becomes the thing that makes the other main character's good deeds so believable. A large, jolly school janitor and Welcome form a friendship that goes beyond the boundaries of school, hometown, and time.

Polacco uses the pictures to set the emotional tone, and the words to spin a simple tale of acceptance, hope, and family.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome Comfort is a foster child who experiences painful bullying episodes until the school janitor shows him kindness and how we find purpose in life. The kindness Welcome experiences with the janitor and his wife, the school librarian, transform his life and help him know just how to pay it forward.

This is a holiday book and there is a Santa Claus theme involved, but the message is universal. It's a message of love, compassion, and helping those around us. Polacco writes about this story at the end of the book and we learn how these characters fit into her childhood. That just makes the book even better. I'm so glad I've added this one to my school library to go with my many other books by this great, storytelling author.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful picture book tells a wonderful story that shows that the spirit of Christmas extends beyond the magical night itself, but into the kindness and compassion that we show others who are having a rough time. Welcome Comfort was a child who didn’t feel like he belonged anywhere because he was a foster child who was constantly in and out of different homes. The kids at school were terribly nasty to him, but Mr. Hamp, the custodian let him spend time with him and his wife. They became almost like family to Welcome, and their bond especially strengthened after Welcome had a powerful experience on Christmas Eve. This book would be wonderful to share with kids during the holiday season, especially as a way to discuss ways we can treat others with kindness.

[Lisa Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

The janitor at the elementary school loved children, but one day he overhears them making fun of a little boy named Welcome Comfort. He befriends the boy, who has spent his childhood being sent from one foster home to another. Welcome loves him and his wife, but is sad that they always leave him for Christmas. One Christmas, he wakes up to have Santa take him to deliver toys to all the kids. When he wakes up in the morning, he thinks it was all a dream. Then he grows up, marries, and is soon working as a janitor at the school as well, when one day, he is given the secret to who Santa really is.

I liked this book - it was sweet, but there are many other Christmas books I love more.

[Niesha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, but I am always frustrated when the 'bad foster parent' myth is perpetuated by people whose experience with foster parents is obviously limited!
If the people who befriended the main character had gone through months' of training and intrusive interviews, then they may have been able to become foster parents, and maybe they could have been the foster parents to Welcome, and finally, they would have become like the "not real" family that Welcome was already living with.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patrica Polacco has never been a favorite author of mine--I recognize both her skill and that her stories resonate with lots of kids, but they just don't usually click for me. This one did. It's a sweet story, and the adult main character is based on a real person, but this is a magical Christmas story. I've just read it once so far, but I think my kids have gotten their dad to read it already, and I won't mind reading it again. It's a little long for a bedtime story, unless it's the only one you read.

[Lacey Mcmanaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has so many lessons. First, it shows bullying. It also shows the importance of role models. After reading it to a class I was subbing for the kids even described it as a life cycle. It is a touching story of a boy who finds a role model in a janitor at his school. In the end he discovers the janitor is Santa. However, be cautious it does involve holidays. Have to think of other religions!

[Melody]

A great story about what happens when people reach out to others. My nine-year-old brought this home from the school library and I teared up a couple of times while reading it. Patricia writes stories inspired by actual people in her life who made in difference in her life and the lives of others.

[OnceUponALibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome Comfort is the name of the overweight foster child that is be-friended and be-familied by the old custodian at the local, small town elementary school. A Polar Express moment in a magical dream becomes a Santa transformation many years later as the old custodian retires from more job than one.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique and unusual Christmas story that takes real people from the author's life and gives them a very special secret shared only with someone who is truly the 'right' sort of person to share that with. I liked how they reached out to this poor lonely boy and gave him family where he had none. Beautiful story!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

We really love Patricia Polacco books. This one is about kindness and believing in what is not seen. Great discussion afterwards about how we need to believe in what we can not see, we believe in Jesus even though we can't see him...krb 12/21/15

Read again during the Christmas holiday...krb 11/28/18

[Marion Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected very little from this book but then was blown away by the magic and creativity of its storyline. Don’t let the cover or the unique title fool you – it’s a compelling, unique, and heartbreakingly beautiful story that will stay with you in years to come. I highly recommend adding this to your annual Christmas reads.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave to two stars, but somehow the leap from kindly coupe loving a foster child into the couple being special beings (Santa) on Christmas eve is a bit much. I also didn't particularly enjoy the illustrations.

[Cathy Blackler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A magical Christmas story about the importance of belonging. Polacco weaves wonderful story elements together, addressing important topics such as bullying, mentoring and magic to remind us all of the power of believing.

[Ms. Tongate, TLC Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet Christmas read of the school custodian who befriends a new student, Welcome Comfort.

Bullying, kindness, and believin' is seein' message.

Always love Patricia Polacco's illustrations and message.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells of a foster boy who is incessantly teased for his name, Welcome Comfort and his being fat. He soon finds a friend and family of sorts, finally find his place.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great Christmas story!