Tough Times: El Toro & Friends

Gr 1-4–This graphic novel about a young wrestler who hasn’t won a fight, the latest in the author’s self-illustrated series following My Mother, Mi Madre, will encourage kids to keep trying. Kid Torro is a wrestler who has lost every single match. Even with his fans and many animal friends cheering him on, he begins to lose heart. Then his trainer gives him a pep talk that turns things around. His message is encouraging and makes for a widely ­applicable lesson for kids, no matter their ­talents or aspirations. There are ­Spanish words and phrases throughout, and some of the Spanish words have English translations on the same page, while others do not. However, with the art providing context clues, this does not make it ­difficult to understand the ­story. The artwork appears to be a mix of digital, ink, and gouache. The colors are bold with varying shades of purple and tan. Some pages feature a minimal background, or just the wrestling ropes, but the beautiful ­colors more than carry the scenes on their own.