Wrestle!

 Wrestle!

Reviewed By  Grasshopper2       March 13, 2019

 

Author  aya Newell, Charlotte Mars and Gus Skattebol-James, illustrated by Tom Jellett

Distributor:      A&U Children's
ISBN:                 9781760296810
Publisher:         A & U Children
Release Date:   February 2019  

Website:    https://www.allenandunwin.com 

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The cover of Wrestle, ahis hardback Picture Book jumps out at the viewer. There is the face of a very fierce boy who is just waiting for a wrestle. In fact, the central theme of this story is celebrating different family groupings and how parenting is the same, whether there are two Mums or two Dads. This is an issue that would challenge any family.

Gus just loves wrestling. He watches it on TV and knows all the names of the wrestlers. He also knows all the moves and holds. However, when he tries to show younger siblings they get hurt. His family are not sure how to handle this problem and explain to him that there are other ways to be strong other than having muscles.

The family wish to march in the Mardi Gras and Gus is adamant. He wishes to dress as a wrestler. It takes a great deal of planning and thinking to satisfy everybody’s needs to have a happy march.

It seems that this was based on a true story by one of the authors. It is an exposition of normal family issues within a family not comprised of the usual Mother and Father as head of the house. The illustrations by Tom Jellet are perfect for expressing the character’s feelings and bringing the story to life. They are detailed and colourful and add wonderfully to the text.

Soon, reading books where two Mums or two Dads are the head of the house will become much more common and children will have access to a broad range of values and ideas.

Childrens