Review of NICO

[Gerald Kamunyi]

[Following is a volunteer review of "NICO" by Marlene Rattigan.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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This book is mostly set in a world of magic, specifically involving shape-shifting from a human to an animal in the dead of night when all the children are fast asleep. There is also an additional mystical power where, once you have shape-shifted into an animal, you can now speak to them and understand their language.

NICO by Marlene Rattigan primarily focuses on four characters: two children and two adults. One of the adults is referred to as Nanna. One day, the children ask why her skin is loose, unlike theirs. Nanna replies that they are her batty wings, which she uses at night to fly around once she has turned into a bat.

There are a few positive aspects I found in this book. The first one I would love to mention is the colorful and meticulously drawn pictorial illustrations. Right from the first page, we see how Nanna and the two children are illustrated, instantly drawing us into the book by capturing our attention. Also, I liked the keen attention to detail when drawing Nanna as a bat. Her wings accurately resemble those of real-world bats, and how she is drawn hanging upside down from a tree is also a very thoughtful addition to mimic the real-world behavior of bats. I also appreciated the dialogue used in the story. I found it quite simple to understand and follow, which made this book very easy to understand and interesting to read. Finally, I enjoyed how some of the characters were portrayed. A point that stood out to me was the children's creativity when they asked Nanna to take a video of herself while flying so they could see it for themselves.

The only thing I felt was missing from the book was the pictorial illustration of Dada. I felt this was unjust, as all the other family members are represented in the book.

In conclusion, I rate NICO by Marlene Rattigan 5 out of 5 stars. I did not find the negative aspect I have stated warranted a deduction of any stars. I did not come across any errors while reading this book, which shows that it was well-edited. I would recommend this book to children aged between 4 to 8 years.

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NICO
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