“When I walked in on my daughter about to swallow a handful of pills, my entire world turned upside down. After crying with her, I realized few parents are willing to admit that their child has been bullied because it would imply their child is either “too weak” or “too weird”. I also came to the conclusion that many parents have no idea their child can be a vicious predator, vulnerable prey, or both.” ~ Dr. Clara Denise West, Creator of Koko & Friends The Only Bug You’ll Want to Hug!
Koko and Friends was birthed in 1996, by Clara Denise West in response to a conversation with her then 8 year-old daughter when she said she “didn’t want to wake up” the next morning due to the bullying she was facing at school every day. After being unable to find age-appropriate books to help her child deal with bullying, West began creating stories and songs to teach her daughter how to survive, and ultimately thrive, in a hostile environment using bugs as the main characters.
Koko, the main character, was born with a destiny to become a professional basketball player. Koko, which is an acronym for “Keep On Keeping On”, represents the typical 21st century young person who knows right from wrong though he does not always make the best decisions at first. West utilizes the rules of basketball to provide children with a moral compass to "Do what's right!" even under negative peer pressure. The purpose is to impart positive values, principles, and decision-making skills in the real-life story lines, which strongly emphasize the importance of family, community, team building and good sportsmanship. |
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