The Great and Mighty Nikko

May 11, 2015
Garza (Maximilian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel) once again draws on the culture of Mexico’s lucha libre wrestling in this bilingual counting book. Drawing in an unabashedly florid cartoon style, Garza shows a boy named Nikko playing with costumed figurines on his bed. “Those are just toys, silly,” his mother says dismissively. “But it’s true!” Nikko counters. “They’ve turned my bed into a lucha libre ring.” The caped, batlike first wrestler climbs into the ring: “Mom, there’s a luchador wrestling on my bed. One!” Another wrestler with a mask like that of an Aztec god holds out his arms to challenge the first: “Mom, now there are two luchadores wrestling on my bed.” Nikko offers similar exclamations as additional wrestlers join the fray, reacting to each other with marvelously exaggerated snarls. Of course Nikko, dressed in his own luchador costume, defeats them all: “Now there are ten luchadores wrestling on my bed!” While the counting format hobbles the story’s energy rather than driving it, the bilingual text and high-octane action give this work bonus points. Ages 3–7.

June 1, 2015

BLPreS-Gr 2-Nikko is an adventure-loving boy who tries to convince his mother that he is not responsible for a ruckus in his room, but rather it's the nine luchadores who show up one by one to wrestle on his bed. Nikko is supposed to be winding down, but what ensues is a wrestling match (Mighty Nikko becomes number 10) that finally tuckers him out. The writing is quite bland as each spread introduces another luchador for Nikko to deal with. While the story line is not particularly strong, the boldly colored cartoonlike illustrations are the highlight here. Children will enjoy the variations in luchadores, from their colorful masks to their unique costumes. VERDICT Garza's vibrant colors will keep readers coming back, even if the bilingual narrative does not.-Martha Rico, El Paso ISD, TX

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