Coco and the bee by Laura Bunting and Nicky Johnston

Coco and the Bee is the third book in the series and this book does not disappoint.  Coco is a little kitten who is living in a new house and discovering lots of new things. She is interested in gardening but doesn’t like bugs so is unhappy when she sees a bee on her strawberry plants. 

Coco has moved to a new house in a new town and when her mum invites the boy next door over for a playdate Coco is concerned they will have nothing in common. Through the course of the book not only does Coco learn that friendships grow from not only our shared interests, but our differences and she also discovers that bees are very important and that there are many different bees in the world. 

The Coco books are beautifully written with illustrations that support and enhance the text; the books have more words than a typical picture book and this makes them great as a classroom read aloud or bedtime story.  The font is easy to read, making them a great first read alone book as well.

I adore the Coco series for its gentle stories and the real-life challenges that are solved through experiencing life from different perspectives. There is a lot of information in the book about bees however this doesn’t feel like an information book. The facts are woven into the story in such a way that the reader can learn new information while considering the other aspects of the story such as acceptance, presumptions and adapting our thinking for a happier outcome. 

I genuinely believe that this series will be a classic in years to come as children and their families share the stories together. I also think that this book would be a great introduction for teachers to use in the unit on minibeasts or bees.  The text is simple enough for children to understand and the story will engage students as they discover new facts about bees. 

Themes: Family, Friendship, Adapting, bugs, Gardening.

Mhairi Alcorn