Nicholas

El primer libro de una serie infantil clásica y atemporal. El pequeño Nicolás nos relata en primera persona sus aventuras en el colegio y con sus amigos. La narración imita el estilo inconexo de los niños pequeños cuando están contando algo, pero es clara y fácil de seguir. Su punto de vista infantil es perfectamente consistente pero incompatible con el de los adultos, lo que lleva a situaciones humorísticas. Se satiriza la lógica infantil pero también en cierto modo la sociedad adulta. Se trata de 19 historias cortas, narradas por Goscinny e ilustradas por Sempé con un estilo inconfundible.

Nicolás y sus amigos son terriblemente traviesos, y el lector adulto simpatiza con sus padres y profesores al mismo tiempo que no show more puede evitar querer a Nicolás, que aunque sea un gamberrete es también sensible y tierno. Son relatos que divertirán a los niños pero también a los adultos. Muy recomendable. show less

This is a phenomenal group of stories, told by a plucky school boy whose unreliability as the narrator of the stories is both humourous and infectious, colouring the whole book with an enthusiasm that either runs you over or carries you with it. The book begins with the class photo - establishing Nicholas and his classmates (the illustration of this photo is on the inside cover and is rich enough to delight without the text). There is Geoffrey, the rich kid, who arrived in his martian suit, Cuthbert, who is top of class and teacher's pet, Eddie, who is a very strong boy, and Alec, who is very fat and who is always eating. The boys of this all boy class, in small groups or as a class, and sometimes entirely on their own, are a whirlwind show more that leave adults spinning as they assess the aftermath. The boys perspective on the world around them is infectious, too, and in more than one story a grown man has found himself caught up in the boys world but without the childhood invincibility Nicholas and friends have. The stories are short and each one can be read in 10-15 minutes out loud. Nicholas has a way of being honest without meaning to be, and his run-on sentences paint a picture of crises and calamity in a way that warms the heart to the energy and spunk that crushes any attempt at discipline or order:

"Max kicked Jeremy, and Jeremy whacked Max and the teacher put them both in the corner and told me I would be Puss in Boots and if I didn't like it that was just too bad because she was getting tired of the lot of us and she felt really sorry for our parents who had the job of bringing us up and if we carried on like this we would finish up in jail and she was sorry for the guards too."

As with Goscinny's Asterix the Gaul series, if you like these stories you will probably never run out of them. show less

What a delightful book for kids-written about 50 years ago by the author of the Asterix comics-boy is it funny! Sometimes parents at the library where I work will ask about male equivalents to Junie B Jones. While I don't think it's fair to compare these two-I would say that kids who like Junie B will probably like Nicholas. And it's good fun for adults who just want something light and silly to pick up and put down easily (the chapters are only a few pages long each). The author has a way with words that makes me giggle with every page, and the drawings are truly hilarious.

Charming illustrations and cute stories about a kid named Nicholas growing up in 50's France. Particularly appreciated how repetitive it is in describing some of the children (Eudes, un copain qui est très fort, Agnan, qui est le premier de la classe et le chouchou de la maîtresse etc) which is useful in language learning.

In terms of my comprehension, using Refold levels, the average level I had with these stories was Level 3, with a couple above at Level 4 and a couple below. This was after roughly two and a half months of French studying for approximately two hours per day, not including passive listening immersion time. Definitely want to go back and reread this one after learning more vocabulary and grammatical concepts!

Remek stílus, érdekes, bár tipikus karakterek. A másik nemhez tartozóként talán egy kissé sok volt a fiús veszekedés-verekedés. Iskola, barátságok, család - számtalan kaland, ahogy egy kisgyerek az életet, a felnőttek világát, szokásait, szabályait tanulja. Humoros jelenetek, bár elgondolkodtató tanulságok és következtetések.

Actually, despite the blurb being accurate about 19 stories, this Phaidon edition, translated by [a:Anthea Bell|25355|Anthea Bell|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1338742712p2/25355.jpg], does not include one about wearing glasses for the first time. Other than that, the blurb tells you all you need to know. Delightful, recommended especially for those who don't understand how fun it is for little boys to fight, get dirty, make grandiose plans, and still somehow manage to be loving and to develop the skills they'll need as adults.

This was a fun read. having been written in France in the 1960's the cultural sensibilities are so different from today. The kids get into fist fight daily, are spanked, play cowboys and Indians, etc. charming in a vintage way.