Nino's Mask

Nino's Mask - by Jeanete WInter

ISBN: 0803728077

"Nino Decides He Knows Better Than His Parents and His Neighbor (and Parents) Commend Him" should really be the title of this book.

It's distubing, but read-on.

A boy named Nino really wants to take part in this year's festival, but his parents say he's too young to have a mask and costume. But he really wants to be someone else, something else, for just one day. So Nino decides to do something about it.

Even though the story shows how a little boy's desire comes true due to to his own hard work and motiviation, and despite the colorful illustrations, inked in felt-tip pen, are a vibrant tapestry of Mexican motifs, upon which Nino's adventures take place - the book teaches the wrong lesson. More on that later.

The book opens (even before the title page) with the master mask-maker explaining that he carves masks, especially for the festival of the tiger. The festival of the TIGRE has been celebrated for hundreds of years and the villagers wear masks and act out the parts of the legend. The hunters and dogs try to catch TIGRE whose spirit can harm the corn crops of the village.

If you miss that explanation, it can really confuse your child as to why people are wanting to wear masks and chase each other so passionately.

The story is conveyed completely in dialog, presented in word balloons. So it's easy for a parent to point to the person speaking the words in the illustration.

The publisher suggests that Nino's Mask is ideally for children from 4-8 years old. We read this to our 3 year old and he was still a little confused about why people were chasing each other so fervently. And in retrospect, the lesson being taught in this book isn't one I want to teach my child. So we only read the book once.

Despite being for older kids, the story seems confusing. Is the story about a boy and his dreams, or a boy defying his parents who say he's too young to have a mask. Admittedly the insight into festival is fascinating and colorful, but it's the story of the boy doing something his parent told him he wasn't ready for that concerns me.

Even though it's just a story, would you want to read a story to your child about a boy who goes out to the street in front of his house, and walk around the family car to open the driver's side door despite his parent telling him he's too young to go in the street this year.

Sure Nino's Mask isn't about life and death, but if it teaches your child that if he wants something you say he's not ready for - that he can do it on his own (and come out a hero like Nino) - then maybe it's something you don't want your child to see as favorable. After all, parents are on earth to be parents. This book has a child making his own decision after his parents.

It's not so much defiance, but presenting a child so obsessed with accomplishing the task of participating in fiesta that he goes against his parents' judgement. It's too bad such a delightful and culturally enlightening story teaches the wrong lesson. We could've learned about dreams, desires, and fiesta of the TIGRE without defiance or disobedience. Unfortuntely, this book should be called, Nino Decides He Knows Better Than His Parents and His Neighbor (and Parents) Commend Him.

My judgement is to avoid this book. I should have read it myself, before reading it to my child even the one time.

0 Mommy-Stars of out 5.