Russell Wrestles the Relatives

April 15, 2018
Mushy family reunions? With Russell's family they're more mashy than anything else.Russell is a scrawny kid, and with only one day left before the family reunion, he has yet to devise a plan to escape the tickles, hair-tousles, handshakes, and hugs. His family members are pro wrestlers, so get-togethers can get physical fast. Hiding doesn't get him past the opening doorbell. First his twin cousins "tag-team him with back-to-back Backbusters." Then his uncle "Iron Arm" Murphy grabs his hand for an Earthquake Shake. When his cousin "Cora, The Cleaner" grabs him for a Spin Cycle hug, Russell slips out of her hold. After another smooth escape, Russell suddenly has the moves and the confidence to thwart all attempts at hugging--but can he block Grammy Dorothy's trademark Kansas Crusher hug? Johnson's jokey juxtaposition of family togetherness and pro-wrestling silliness will strike both a chord and a funny bone for little listeners. Duncan's scratchy, colorful, digitally created, cartoon illustrations are full of goofy action and outrageous costumes. Russell and his mom are white, but skin tones and wrestler nicknames hint at a multiethnic extended family for Russell. When read with a TV-announcer voice, the exaggerated mayhem of text and illustration could make for a kooky KO at storytime. (Picture book. 3-7)

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May 7, 2018
Every kid expects a certain amount of “hugging, hand-shaking, and hair-tousling” when relatives come to visit. But for Russell, a family reunion portends something much worse: his aunts, uncles, cousins, and two grandparents are all professional wrestlers, complete with costumes (one relative dresses in a luchador-style outfit) and vivid nicknames, such as “the Texas Tickler” (Grandpa) and “Dorothy the Dropper” (Grandma). Russell feels scrawny in comparison to this beefy clan, and he assumes he’ll be “squished like a toothpaste tube.” But when he inadvertently extricates himself from the various familial clutches, he proves that he’s got moves that mark him as a chip off the old family wrestling block. Duncan (Shark Nate-O) effectively uses watercolor-and-ink cartooning to capture Russell in extremis, getting crushed by relatives; Johnson ties up the story with a heartwarming bow, with Russell realizing how much his WWE-style family loves him and how disarming—literally—a lovingly proffered kiss on the cheek can be. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Minju Chang, BookStop Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: James Burns, Bright USA.