The Adventures of Wrong Man and Power Girl!

January 1, 2018
"If there's something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call?" Not Wrong Man!In this picture-book collaboration, London and Morrison present a sweet and amusing flight of fancy in which Janice, a young black girl sent to her room as punishment by her father, reimagines him as the bumbling, red-spandex-clad action hero Wrong Man. Though well-intentioned (much like Janice's father), Wrong Man cannot help botching every rescue he attempts--from foiling a bank robbery to stopping an asteroid--in the most spectacular of ways. Fortunately for him, he has his resourceful daughter, aka Power Girl, to provide common-sense solutions to the problems that they face. Morrison's colorful artwork nicely mimics the style and feel of a vintage comic book, panels and layering lending the book a dynamic feel. The book's most wonderful feature is the positive and loving depiction of a black father-daughter superhero pair whose race is immaterial to the storyline or to their family dynamic. Young readers will undoubtedly see themselves and the adults in their lives reflected in these characters and will take delight in seeing the child protagonist as the voice of reason even as she acknowledges that her parents are right some of the time.A lighthearted adventure story that charms and entertains. (Picture book. 3-7)

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March 1, 2018

K-Gr 3-Wrong Man's only superpower seems to be the ability to do the absolute worst thing possible when trouble shows up. Like when he attempts to thwart a robbery by showing off his dance moves. Or when he tries to foil a homework-eating dog by dressing every dog in underwear. Luckily his sidekick Janice, aka Power Girl, is there to right his many mistakes with her quick thinking; readers later discover that Power Girl is Wrong Man's daughter and the whole situation was an anger-fueled daydream that's resolved by the book's end. However, there is not enough immediate correlation between the backstory and the main narrative, which may leave some readers confused. Overall, this is a hysterical and refreshing take on the many errors that parents can make. Morrison's adherence to a comic book art style lends legitimacy to the story. His figures, complete with comic-style line shading and intense facial expressions, are breathtaking, but, more important, add a dose of humor to each situation. VERDICT Kids will want to pore over this hilarious romp that's expertly executed-simply amazing.-Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 16, 2018
London (the Wild Ones series) and Morrison (Little Melba and Her Big Trombone) team up to create a father-daughter super-duo. Janice, an African-American girl who transforms into Power Girl, is always cleaning up the messes of Wrong Man, her father, who often ends up making situations much worse by employing outlandish tactics. Wrong Man's mistakes are often humorous: he arrives to a fire at an old toothbrush factory armed with "lots and lots of stinky cheese," which ends up a melted mess, then speeds off to catch a bank robber with his dance moves. Luckily, Janice is on hand to call the police and minimize the damage. Of course, when Janice is in peril, it's Wrong Man who swoops in to think outside the box and save the day. Morrison's detailed, dynamic illustrations lend themselves well to London's comic scenarios. The story's conclusion is neatly tied, with Janice held aloft as she gives her smiling father a peck on the cheek. Ages 5â8.

March 1, 2018
Preschool-G This visually enticing story in comic-book format follows the unfortunate adventures of two superheroes invented by an African American girl named Janice. Janice is Power Girl and her dad is Wrong Man. Wrong Man makes impractical decisions; he brings oodles of cheese to douse a fire and dances to thwart robbers, while practical Power Girl calls 911. No crisis is too small (dogs eating homework) or too large (a meteor heading toward Earth)?Wrong Man can screw anything up. Eventually, Wrong Man is redeemed when he saves Janice from a giant fire-breathing lizard. The text, composed mostly of dialogue bubbles, is short and to the point, while the lushly colored comic-book style illustrations are attractive, often with smaller images in frames. Some of the action is unclear, and in some places, the illustrations are too crowded, resulting in a murky story line. Still, the alluring artwork centered around African American heroes will draw some to this, despite some confusing visual sequences.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)