How the Sun Got to Coco’s House

Conveying a tone of quiet wonder, Graham’s travelogue imagines the daily journey of the sun as it makes its way to one girl’s home. As Coco is tucked into bed, the sun rises above a polar bear and two cubs on the other side of the world. The glowing yellow orb “skid[s] giddily across the water” and continues on, bringing seasonal light and shadow to animals, children, and families in crowded cities, frozen forests, villages, and deserts. At last, “the winter sun barged straight through Coco’s window!” and she and her dog, parents, friends, and neighbors bask in its rays for a day of outdoor fun. A combination of wide panels and expansive spreads, many from a bird’s-eye perspective, bring a lofty visual flow to Graham’s airy watercolors. In the soft wash of hues that form the backdrop to most of the scenes, Graham (Vanilla Ice Cream) captures the moment of daybreak with gray-blue and rosy pink ceding to bright yellow across the sky. Seeing the same instant from widely dispersed viewpoints will elicit a sense of both familiarity and discovery for readers. Ages 4–6. (Sept.)