FICTION

The Great and Mighty Nikko!: A Bilingual Counting Book

by Xavier GARZA
illus. by Xavier Garza. 32p. Cinco Puntos. Jul. 2015. pap. $7.95. ISBN 9781935955832; ebk. $7.95. ISBN 9781935955849.
COPY ISBN
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.
Reviewed by Martha Rico, El Paso ISD, TX
Nikko's mother wants him to go to sleep, but there are too many (toy) luchadores wrestling on his bed. While the counting concept is amusing and there's value in the simple Spanish vocabulary lesson, the lack of a firm story arc and uninteresting dialogue result in a lackluster bilingual text unbefitting the energy of Garza's superhero-comics-style illustrations.
 , Jun 01, 2015

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