Big Sister Coco: A Birthday Surprise

PreS-Gr 2–Three short chapters center on big sister Coco, an eight-year-old Black girl, and her little brother Bo’s fifth birthday. Bo is determined to uncover his hidden birthday present. Coco helps him out using logic and questions and the gift is soon discovered: a trip to the waterpark! But before they can go, the duo must decide which items they should bring. Since this is a first for both of the siblings, many objects are considered until the best ones make the final list. Once they arrive, Bo is overwhelmed by the choices and sizes of slides. He is very nervous about the biggest slide, but that is the one he wants to try. Being a good big sister, Coco decides to find a way to help Bo to feel brave enough to go down. A bright color palette is combined with well-developed, relatable actions, such as an excellent sequence of vertical panels that depict the four stages of descending a waterslide. Sparse and easy-to-read dialogue appears embedded in the drawings and in speech bubbles.