I spend a lot of time reading titles as I select which books to bring home from the library. This title made me laugh out loud, something you shouldn’t do in the library, but can you blame me? “Sumo Mouse!”
With bright and colorful illustrations provided by the author, this children’s picture book is written like a melodramatic comic book with a hint of the old Godzilla movies thrown in for good measure. “Sumo Mouse” is the story of Tokyo besieged. All the mice have been stolen by evil cats and are captives at the Tanaka Toy Factory. They are being used to provide the “squeak” sound in squeaky toys, and without them, Tanaka will go under. Lucky for these mice, the sumo convention is in town, and along with them is Sumo Mouse, champion and defender of little furry rodents everywhere. Dr. Claw, one of our villains, is certain he knows the identity of our super hero. Devising a dastardly deed of derring-do, he builds a robot designed to crush all opponents. His target: Gachinko, the bravest and toughest sumo of them all. Only he is strong enough to be Sumo Mouse, and so he is the one Dr. Claw must bring down.
Dr. Claw climbs into his robot to operate him from the inside, then enters the sumo wrestling ring. He nearly makes mouse mincemeat out of Gachinko, only to be surprised when Sumo Mouse attacks him from behind. Dr. Claw was attacking the wrong mouse, but it’s too late now! He’s on his way to jail, thanks to our hero, who also rescued all the kidnapped mice in his spare time.
I alternately cheered and shook my head as I read this creative and definitely out-of-the-box book. Who needs Batman? Who needs Spiderman? Aw, they’re okay in a pinch, but if I really want to be saved, I’m calling for Sumo Mouse any day of the week.
(This book was published in 2002 by Chronicle Books.)
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