Niño Wrestles the World

Starred review from April 15, 2013
Morales (Georgia in Hawaii) takes her theme from Mexican professional wrestling, and the resulting story is every bit as fun and campy as the theatrical fighting it’s based on. The stars of “lucha libre,” an afterword explains, wear masks that add to their mystery. Niño—“The Boy”—is ready for action in his red mask, sneakers, and underpants. The story rockets from cero to sesenta as Niño imagines taking on the scary demons and bad guys of Mexican lore and knocking them off, one after another, with his own trademark wrestling moves. He undoes the groaning Guanajuato Mummy with a Tickle Tackle, deceives the child-stealing Weeping Woman with decoy baby dolls, and is taken aback only by Las Hermanitas—his little sisters, who have just woken up from their nap. Truly eerie opponents, Spanish exclamations (“Zok!” “Pachatas!”), a bold design, and a lurid palette all contribute to the in-your-face style. Capsule profiles of the combatants on the endpages (Las Hermanitas’ battle cry is “Constant and loud”) only add to the entertainment. Vivan las luchas! Ages 4–8. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency.

April 15, 2013
Little luchador Nino battles out-of-this-world opponents one by one until he finally meets his match. Nino has a big imagination and a love of lucha libre, the popular Mexican masked wrestling. While his sisters nap, he becomes an impressive luchador, facing competitors often drawn from Mexican history and folklore. The text, unfolding as if by a commentator calling the action, begs to be read aloud. Challengers are vanquished not by violence but by gentle horseplay and clever wit--until Nino meets Las Hermanitas, awake from their naps, and must quickly devise a new strategy to take on such crafty adversaries. A multiple Pura Belpre medal winner, Morales' (Just in Case, 2008, etc.) style of illustration continues to evolve with this title. She uses a graphic approach reminiscent of a comic book, with speech bubbles and sound effects, a smart choice for moving along the action of the plot. This design will appeal to children who may struggle to find picture books that match their interests and energy level, especially boys. Trading-card-style introductions to each opponent on the endpapers include pronunciation guidance for Spanish names. Occasional challenges with text placement and page flow keep this title from being flawless, but young readers will be so engrossed with this humorous story that these issues are easy to overlook. Sure to be a smash. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)

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June 1, 2013

K-Gr 2-Playing alone in his room, Nino dons his Lucha Libre mask and lets his imagination take flight. (According to an endnote, Lucha Libre is a dramatic form of professional wrestling followed by fans in Mexico.) The young hero is then ready to take on an eclectic cast of monstrous opponents. Spurred on by chanting crowds, the boy handily defeats the Guanajuato Mummy (La Momia de Guanajuato), Olmec Head (Cabeza Olmeca), and the Weeping Woman (La Llorona), using a variety of clever strategies. Next up is El Extraterrestre and then El Chamuco. Nino remains undefeated until the dreadful hour arrives. Nap time is over and his baby sisters are ready to wrestle. Las Hermanitas will stop at nothing, and Nino soon realizes that it is better to join forces with them. Together, the siblings form a tag team, challenging all contenders. The fast-paced narrative is sprinkled with Spanish vocabulary and accompanied by energetic and vivid illustrations adorned with stars and rays of light that bring to mind stylishly designed event posters. In comic-book fashion, the bold portrayal of each match includes dialogue bubbles and sound effects printed in decorative fonts ("whunk," "bloop," "krunch"). The endpapers feature amusing profiles of the competitors. Captivated youngsters will cheer for Nino as he takes on each opponent in this action-packed story.-Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
Preschool-G Senoritas y seors! In this corner of the playroom, we have an energetic little boy whose traditional, outlandish Mexican luchadore wrestling costume consists of a pair of underwear and a bright red lucha libre mask. And in the opposite corner, an assortment of out-of-this-world contenders ready to take our brave Nio down. Introduced via fact boxes on the endpapers, the villains are an intimidating bunch, but Nio prevails over each thanks to one of his signature moves: the Guanajuato Mummy (the Tickle Tackle!), Olmec Head (the Puzzle Muzzle!), the Weeping Woman (the Doll Decoy!), and so forth. Each single-spread bout is announced by a title card in Spanish and features a plethora of nonsensical action words to go along with Nio's attacks: zok, slish, bloop, spak, and so on. Morales' illustrations have just enough competing font styles and explosive-looking backgrounds to conjure the feel of an authentic lucha libre poster, and kids with multicultural classmates will recognize (or learn) Nio's many Spanish exclamations. A closing note explains the lucha libre culture. Zzzwap!(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)