NICOLAS (MIS CUENTOS FAVORITOS)

Nicolás procede de Sudán, llegó hace unos meses y, aunque es un chico alto, atlético y negro como el ébano, no es un campeón africano de natación, pero sí un héroe, un verdadero SUPERHÉROE. The first time our heroine sets eyes on Nicolás, a tall muscular boy, black as ebony, at the local swimming pool, she imagines hes a real life hero. Shes sure hes a swimming champ. But in the water he seems insecure, splashing about instead of swimming. He doesnt seem like the great swimmer she imagined! Its not until later, when Nicolás tells her about his life as a refugee from Sudan, and how the threat of being deported on his 18th birthday is the real reason he wants to learn to swim, that she realizes that hes not just a hero but a real Superhero. A superhero that doesnt want to drown on his inevitable return across the ocean. A moving but upsettingly common story, that the writer here treats with subtlety, a touch of humor and an overwhelming respect, so that the youngest readers can understand reality whilst avoiding sensationalism.