Summary
Niño is a lucha who is not afraid of any foe, big or small, old or young, dead or undead! His special moves like the “Tickle Tackle” and “Puzzle Muzzle” leave all of his imaginary foes in ruins.
However, his greatest challengers arrive later in the story. His younger sisters, Las Hermanitas, are ready to strike and they are ruthless in their attack, so Niño decides to join them and they become a new fighting force...Los Tres Hermanos.
Impressions
This entertaining look at a little boy who is probably no older than 4 is such a fun read. The author/illustrator added a lot of colorful comic style drawings to make the text and characters explode onto the pages. The incorporation of mixed Spanish and English languages will appeal to a broad audience. The theme is heavily influenced by Hispanic culture and tradition which gives it a unique and fresh feel. With a nod to the popular graphic novel style, this book hits all of the right notes and would be wonderful in any library.
Professional Reviews
Are you a monster? If you are, then you'd better watch out for Niño (short guy, yellow sneakers, blue-trimmed tighty-whities, wiry limbs, and lips set in stern determination beneath his fiery red lucha libre mask). He's got a room full of toys and some slick wrestling moves, and he's not afraid to use 'em on rudos like you—just ask the vanquished villains of Mexican lore who've made the sorry mistake of taking him on.
First there's La Momia de Guanajuato, disinterred from a grave in 1865, and now reduced to a giggling wreck by Niño's Tickle Tackle. Next up: Niño vs. Cabeza Olmeca, the giant stone head from ancient Olmec civilization. He's taken out by a flying leap off a jigsaw-puzzle box, followed by a vicious head butt. La Llorona, legendary ghost wailing for her murdered children in the night, is stunned into submission by Niño's clever Decoy Doll trick. El Extraterrestra, just landed from his space ship, can't defend against the Marble Mash, and even El Chamuco, the devil himself, gets knocked right off his cloven hoofs when he slips on Niño's scooter ramp glazed with the ever-effective Popsicle Slick. Is there anything that Niño fears? Yes! In dismay, he watches the clock tick to 11:15: "His sisters' nap is over. Time for Nino to tangle with LAS HERMANITAS!" The merciless little rudas pounce and tickle and even attempt to (gasp!) unmask Niño, who narrowly escapes defeat by joining them to form a new team: Los Tres Hermanos.
Morales isn't the first and won't be the last to riff on a child immersed in his own imaginary heroism, only to crash back to earth when family life intervenes. She is, however, extraordinarily adept at balancing the rough-and-tumble physicality of Niño the Luchador—whose adversaries may be all in his mind, while his mess is all over the house—with the merriment and self-restraint of Niño the Genuinely Wonderful Big Brother, who actually enjoys humoring his adoring younger siblings. The tenderness of the final scene flows organically from the lucha libre plot and plays out on kid terms, with Niño triumphantly winging his delighted new tag teamers up in the air. No adult voice commends Niño for playing nicely with his sisters, just as no adult voice warns him not to yank their arms out of their sockets. The audience will recognize a good brother when they see one, though, and these sturdy little gals certainly don't require intervention.
Most kids will agree, though, that drawing Niño's nemeses from the realms of history and folklore and setting them loose in the arena of lucha libre is Morales' real master stroke. Combining the explosive action of comic book splash pages with the bold outlining and vibrant colors of lucha libre poster art, Morales' illustrations quote their traditional cultural sources as confidently as her text and layout mine contemporary wrestling ballyhoo. Niño's opponents are, in their traditional forms, truly the stuff of nightmares (don't skip the background insets on the endpapers for additional detail), and even the noblest lucha tecnico can be pretty intimidating. Morales, though, renders them all just creepy enough for shivers yet goofy enough for giggles. El Chamuco would be terrifying with his yellow eyes and serrated teeth, but it's hard to take him seriously with a popsicle in one hand and a Lego block in the other; Cabeza Olmeca likewise seems alarming, until one notices that he has the same nose and mouth as good-guy Niño.
Although the text is presented in English, Morales clearly expects that kids will move easily among English and Spanish terms. All the rudos' names and a fair amount of background banter is in Spanish, some of which is translated within the text, while some is left for listeners to recognize, figure out, gloss over, or save for later. (Do "Whunk," "Zzzwap," and "¡Ay, ay, ay, ajua!" really require translation?) What's at issue here transcends language and culture: there are things hair-raising enough to scare the bejeezus out of a kid, and it's good to know that there's a pint-sized luchador out there to tame them.
Bush, 2013
"Señoras y Señores, Put your hands together for the fantastic, spectacular, one of a kind . . . NIÑO!" Award-winning author and illustrator Yuyi Morales's newest picturebook excites and captivates as readers follow Mexican wrestling's bravest luchador, Niño. No opponent is too terrifying for underwear-clad Niño. Inspired by myths and legends from Morales's childhood, Niño's contenders line up to challenge him. La Momia de Guanajuato, Cabeza Olmeca, La Llorona, El Extraterrestre, and El Chamuco all succumb to Niño's wrestling moves, like the Tickle Tackle and the Marble Mash. All, that is, except LAS HERMANITAS! What is a luchador to do when faced with freshly napped sisters ready to tussle?
In addition to celebrating the art of lucha libre, or Mexican wrestling, Niño's story pays homage to all children who play and imagine to their own and others' delight and glee. Morales masterfully designs each opening in this 2014 Pura Belpré Illustrator award-winning picturebook, combining unique fonts and text placement with rich hues and close-up profiles to create suspense. Readers will be chanting ¡NIÑO! ¡NIÑO! ¡NIÑO! by the end and will be requesting more books that provide additional insights into lucha libre. Xavier Garza's dual language picturebook, Lucha Libre: The Man in the Silver Mask (2007) would make for a fine addition to this Mexican wrestling read-aloud experience. ¡Viva la lucha libre! (AZ)
Zapata, 2015
Library Uses
Great for a Mommy and Me (Mami y Yo) read aloud story time with pre-school age children. The fun and colorful illustrations paired with the Spanish/English language combination and family theme make this a wonderful way to connect with the Hispanic community.
References
Bush, E. (2013). Niño wrestles the world. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 67(1), 3-4.
doi:10.1353/bcc.2013.0546
Morales, Y. (2013). Niño wrestles the world. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.
Zapata, A. (2015). Niño wrestles the world. Language Arts, 92(3), 215-215,222. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1640764628?accountid=7113
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