Pacho Nacho

November 1, 2019
Librarian and author López puts a Latin American twist on a classic silly story. When Mamá and Papá welcome their first child, no one can decide on a name. Rather than pick just one, they decide to string together all the suggestions from the abuelos and abuelas, tíos and tías, primos and primas, along with their own favorite names into the tongue-tripping "Pacho-Nacho-Nico-Tico-Melo-Felo-Kiko-Rico." The family and the community are proud of the name and the little boy who carries it. A new son, Juan, later joins the happy family. All goes well until, when his older brother is threatened by dangerously swift waters, young Juan is hindered in his urgent quest for help by his elder brother's extensive and cumbersome name. Though Pacho Nacho's name is a string of popular Spanish nicknames, astute readers will quickly recognize the similarities to the tale of Tikki-Tikki-Tembo, itself based on a Japanese folktale, a partial history of which is included in the author's note. Bright cartoon illustrations by Pino seem to set the story in what is now the United States Southwest and lend a cinematic theatricality. A glossary of Spanish vocabulary folded into the text is appended. As with the source material, a read-aloud that will have young audiences in stiches. (Picture book. 3-7)

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January 1, 2020

PreS-Gr 2-A story about a Mexican boy whose long name almost results in a tragic accident. Pacho-Nacho-Nico-Tico-Melo-Felo-Kiko-Rico is given his name when his parents ask their extended family for ideas for the perfect moniker for their firstborn. From then on, everyone in the village is encouraged to call the boy by his extended beautiful, melodic name. When Mama and Papa have a second son, he is simply named Juan. One day, when the boys are older, they decide to go fishing at the nearby river. Pacho-Nacho finds himself hanging from a broken branch over the river. As Juan runs to find help, he is forced to use his brother's beautiful long name, thus wasting precious time. Finally, Papa and the carpenter row out to the river and help the lad to safety. After that, wisely enough, long extended names are never used again. The text is sprinkled with Spanish words throughout and Pino's colorful cartoon artwork sets the scene in a rural, folkloric Mexican landscape. A Spanish word list and an author's note discussing stories with similar plots are appended. VERDICT Youngsters will get a kick out of saying the main character's name while enjoying this entertaining story, perfect to share at storytimes and during Hispanic Heritage Month.-Martha Rico, Yselta ISD, TX

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2020
Grades K-3 L�pez gives a Spanish twist to an old Japanese folktale about a boy with an extraordinarily long name. This rendition takes readers to a small town in Mexico, where the parents and extended family of a baby boy cannot agree on what his name should be. So, he gets all the names! Pacho-Nacho-Nico-Tico-Melo-Felo-Kiko-Rico. His family loves the name so much that they insist that everyone in the town, including his little brother Juan, say it in full. That is until Juan and Pacho-Nacho-Nico-Tico-Melo-Felo-Kiko-Rico go exploring by the river and Pacho-Nacho-Nico-Tico-Melo-Felo-Kiko-Rico nearly falls in! Leaving his brother dangling by a broken tree branch, Juan runs to get help. What ensues is a hilarious tongue-twisting tale as Juan tries to relay the emergency to his mom and dad. Argentinian illustrator Pino's cartoonish artwork is colorful and energetic, effectively conveying the story's high jinks. This book is a wonderful read-aloud filled with rhyme and repetition. A glossary helpfully defines the Spanish words peppered throughout the story, and an author's note offers background on the original tale.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)