Niño Wrestles the World Review by Dana Williams

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY
Morales, Yuyi. Niño Wrestles the World. New York: Roaring Book Press, 2013. ISBN 978-1596436046. 

2.  PLOT SUMMARY
Young Niño loves lucha libre wrestling: the drama, the moves, the costumes, the characters! At home, he uses his imagination to become a masked man in underwear to take on some of Mexico's biggest cultural characters in his own personal wrestling ring. 

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Through the use of his incredible imagination, the protagonist Niño, a young Latino boy, enters the world of lucha libre, a type of wrestling popular in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries. Similar to the real-life wrestling heroes, Niño wears a mask to hide his identity as he fights several mythical figures in Mexican culture like: La Momia de Guanajuato, Cabeza Olmeca and La Llorona, and more. A Pura Belpré winner for her illustrations, Yuyi Morales' artwork is colorful and vibrant, which adds to the explosive excitement of the wrestling storyline. Similar to the old Batman television show and comics that used "Pow" and "Wham" in cartoon-like fonts to show action, Morales mimics that comical style with Spanish expressive words like "Slish," "Zok" and "Pachatas!" (p. 8). She switches back and forth between Spanish and English in the text frequently and also changes fonts throughout the book to highlight the rising and falling energy levels, but in the end children are introduced to a Latino child with jet black hair and beautiful brown skin who is a superstar. He is a boy who embodies heroism with his courage and showmanship.

Morales text introduces young children to the elaborate plot lines of lucha libre. She also provides a look into the rich Hispanic history behind Niño's nemeses through short biographies on the end pages of the book. She entices children to cheer on Niño by having him battle his enemies with common toys and treats that many children likely have access to like puzzles, dolls, marbles -- and popsicles. Niño is the champion in the wrestling ring within the safety of his small, toy-covered living room -- until along come Las Hermanitas, who are still in diapers and don't fight fair! He is an appealing character that children ages 3-8 will love to emulate both in play and in Spanish expressions ("Ay Ay Ay Ajúa!").

Adding to the history, Morales leaves a note about the cultural influence, mystery, and popularity of lucha libre in the back of the book.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) and AWARDS
Pura Belpré Award Winner, Illustrations
ALSC Notable Children's Book.

From Publisher's Weekly
"Morales takes her theme from Mexican professional wrestling and the resulting story is every bit as fun and as campy as the theatrical fighting it's based on." 

From Booklist
"Morale's 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) Niño's many Spanish exclamations." 

5. CONNECTIONS
Consider exploring other picture books by written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales, including: Little Night Nochecita (ISBN: 978-1250073242) and Just in Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book (ISBN: 978-1596433298). 

Have children try to write and illustrate their own books. For younger kids, write down their stories for them and let them color the pages and staple them together. Discuss with them what kind of stories they like to pretend when they play at home. What do their costumes look like? Turn Friday into a creative costume day where everyone wears their dress up to school. (You might want to let them know that they can't come to school in their underwear like Niño, though. That's just for home.)