Coco and the Spiderling by Laura Bunting, illustrated by Nicky Johnston

Title: Coco and the Spiderling

Author: Laura Bunting, illustrated by Nicky Johnston

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Scholastic Australia/Omnibus Books

Published: 1^st September 2022

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 48

Price: $19.99

Synopsis: Coco is very excited about her family holiday. But when she discovers her purrfect city adventure is actually a camping trip … Me-Eww! Can an unexpected friendship change Coco’s view of camping? And will she have the purrfect holiday after all?

~*~

Coco has had a lot of changes in her life – she’s moved to the country, met bees, butterflies, and her new friend Max. And now, her parents are planning on surprising her with a grand family holiday! Coco is thrilled and begins thinking about all the fabulous places they might be going in the city – that is until her parents take her camping! Ew! Coco wants to get away from the camping ground and runs into a baby spider whose web keeps being destroyed. Yet the spiderling has a sunny outlook on unexpected things happening – and Coco may realise that she can have a wonderful holiday after all!

The Coco books are adorable – perfect for older readers making that transition from simpler picture books to the next level, or for those still being read to who have longer attention spans. It is one of those series that is filled with joy, fun, and friendship, and empowering messages about trying new things and doing your best – though I am with Coco about camping – it’s not my favourite thing to do either! I adore these books – being a cat lover and yes, some of my followers may have noticed a lot of cat books or cat characters mentioned lately. However Coco is not snarky like my previous cats. No, she’s very sweet and creative, as is her friend Max – which shows kids that they can all be creative and have a variety of interests. In this book, the tiny spider that Coco encounters acts as a guide – to show Coco that there is more to the outdoors than she thought.

What I like about the Coco books is that they encourage readers to try new things but don’t make them feel bad if they don’t like them for whatever reason. Coco is allowed to have her feelings, and this is empowering.  I think these books allow readers to explore complicated feelings whilst enjoying a fun story, and it is one that I hope lots of readers love as much as I did. It is in the vein of many books I enjoyed when I was younger, and feel like it has the same vibes, because the lack of technology and references that place it in a specific time and place make it the kind of story that could take place anywhere.

This beautiful book is the latest in the Coco series, and it is one that I will be sharing with my niece when she is a bit older and can focus on longer stories. They’re the kind of books that people of all ages can enjoy, and I am in love with Coco and her adventures.