Review by New York Times Review
A crawling baby, an indulgent old dog and a kitchen floor: Fogliano ("And Then It's Spring") turns a small homey moment into a celebration of the merriment kids and pets tumble into - and the easy communication between them. Her artful language combines simple verse and baby talk in a way that will -please little ones ("baby hurry/baby wiggle/'puppy! puppy!'/baby giggle"). The Caldecott medalist Raschka's watercolors swing delightfully between bouncy motion and snuggly rest. HAND IN HAND Written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells. 26 pp. Holt. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 6) A big-eyed baby bunny tells her mother what she needs from her in verses so sweet and powerful they might just bring new parents to tears. "Be my teacher from day one," the bunny says: "My first feeder. My first reader." In the hands of Wells, the creator of Max and Ruby and many other beloved characters, the loving, moral message is blissfully free of treacle or preachiness. "Let me know my right from wrong," one page says simply, and boxes depict virtues like helping and forgiving. KING BABY Written and illustrated by Kate Beaton. 40 pp. Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 8) Beaton ("The Princess and the Pony") brings a fresh, modern energy and spot-on pacing to the regal-baby theme, showing why comics artists like her have been redefining what picture books can do. King Baby looks like an egg with limbs, but his confidence knows no bounds. His fawning subjects - bearded Dad, Mom in leggings and flats - run themselves ragged trying to meet his demands. The fun rolls on, until King Baby, now a "big boy," magnanimously cedes his rule to, yes, Queen Baby. THE BOSSIER BABY Written and illustrated by Marla Frazee. 40 pp. Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 8) This follow-up to "The Boss Baby" - coming out as a film in the spring - will please new and old devotees. A pearl-wearing baby arrives at the little proto-corporate-tyrant's house, declaring herself the C.E.O. The staff is "strangely delighted." The demoted Boss Baby tries some protest moves (stripping, peeing outside), all futile, until the C.E.O. reaches out to bond with him. As always, Frazee makes it adorable, witty and clever, down to the details of the family's midcentury modern showplace home. RUDAS: Niño's Horrendous Hermanitas Written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales. 32 pp. Neal Porter/Roaring Brook. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Niño is back, and now the mighty masked lucha libre star from "Niño Wrestles the World" must share the stage with his rule-bending twin baby sisters. The girls conquer opponents like "El Extraterrestre" with "incredibly rude feats" involving diapers, biting and climbing all over them. Morales makes Spanish and English words flow together smoothly (as they grab toys one baby says "GIMME!," the other, "MÍO!"), and anything unfamiliar is easy to decipher thanks to her raucous, gorgeous art. ONLINE An expanded visual presentation of this week's column at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [November 13, 2016]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* There is only one Niño, the lively little luchador (red-masked wrestler). And in a sequel to Niño Wrestles the World (2013), he is back for another alarming adventure. As the front endpapers explain, the Rudos are the tough guys who bend or break the rules, and Technicos are the good guys who use good manners and play nice. The bout begins in this corner with the Rudas Hermanitas, Niño's phenomenal, spectacular little sisters, nicknamed the Lucha Queens! They use techniques such as the Poopy Bomb Blowout (picture it) to gas opponents out of this world. Early in the match comes the stunning skateboard Nappy Freedom Break, followed by Tag-Team Teething biting. They tattle, they plunder, they screech and scream these Rudas know no bounds. But Niño cleverly traps the sisters, ends their dastardly deeds, and calms them with a book. Concluding end papers contain a colorful glossary, which translates some of the Spanish words, and hilarious pictures. With acrylics and inks Morales depicts the spectacular battle between Niño and his two little sisters in brilliantly colored cartoons, as each page blasts our senses with eye-popping bold-font styles and bubble text and backgrounds of explosive stars. Another hit for award winner Morales!--Gepson, Lolly Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Luchadores beware: Niño's younger sisters, Las Hermanitas, step into the ring in this wildly rambunctious sequel to Niño Wrestles the World (2014), and as rudas, they don't play by the rules. Channeling an announcer's bravado ("¡Madre! Will anyone be spared from their Pampered Plunder?"), Morales show the girls taking down such rivals as El Extraterrestre and El Chamuco with moves like the "Poopy Bomb Blowout" and "Tag Team Teething," accompanied by sound effects scattered across the pages in explosive, graffiti-like bursts. The energy in Morales's punchy artwork is dialed up to the max, and the finale demonstrates that a good book can pacify even the most ferocious of opponents. Ages 4-8. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlottte Sheedy Literary. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Sibling rivalry just got real. Niño returns for another round in the ring, but this time his opponents are his incredibly rude baby sisters. Readers will delight as the innocuous-looking hermanitas attack with moves like the Poopy Bomb Blowout and cheer for Niño as he and his fellow técnicos counter with a Look-and-Book Diversion. With comic book-style speech bubbles and action, Morales offers an endlessly entertaining and ultimately sweet selection on sibling bonds and the power of storytelling. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This follow-up to Nino Wrestles the World (rev. 7/13) is brimming with action, humor, and heart. Its tecnicos (Good guys who play by the rules) vs. rudos (Tough guys who bend or break the rules) as Nino recounts a spirited wrestling rumpus with his misbehaving little sisters. As Nino tries to draw a storybook in peace, las hermanitas burst into his space -- a page-turn transforming their big brother into a luchador, sporting sneakers, undies, and a signature mask. Cracking down on their opponents with incredibly rude feats such as the Poopy Bomb Blowout, las hermanitas cause a silly commotion and also disrupt Ninos make-believe buddies, some from Mexican lore. After Nino outsmarts his sore-loser sisters, they wail until Nino shares the book he created, delicately offering an opportunity for a successful seize and squeeze and pulling them close to revisit the excitement they just experienced. Moraless vibrant collages are filled with spongy textures and zigzags, reflecting the childrens boisterous fun. Varied typefaces (ranging from announcer-style all-caps to colorful comic-book sound effects) add to the chaos, while speech bubbles echo the narrative by featuring expressions in both English and Spanish. Extra details (for example, Ninos name scribbled out with crayon markings and a toy block on top of the text) highlight the escapade as a product of the childrens imaginative play; a cuddle at the end illuminates the joys and complexities of big-siblinghood. elisa gall (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
