Sumokitty

Written by David Biedrzycki

Narrated by Brian Nishii

Watch out, mice! This cat is a sumo champion! A stray kitty gets a job in a sumo stable, chasing mice in exchange for food. But when eating like a sumo wrestler slows our feline hero down, he realizes he must train like a wrestler, too. Through hard work and perseverance--and with a little help from a big buddy--SumoKitty is born! A funny and heartwarming story inspired by the Japanese saying "Fall down seven times, stand up eight."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9781980054719

Reviews for Sumokitty

[Elizabeth Mellen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute! My daughter picked this one out, and it had a cute kitty, some lessons about sumo wrestling (with pronunciations, which was great because I know nothing about it) and perseverance. Kitty wants to find somewhere to live and earn his keep by ridding the house of mice, but soon the good life makes him too out of shape to continue and he takes a lesson from the sumo wrestlers and becomes the titular sumo kitty.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A stray kitty, looking for some food and longing for a home, finds a way to make himself useful at the heya, or training center for sumo wrestlers. But when his plentiful diet makes him a little chubby, and he can no longer catch the mice, out he goes again. Fortunately for our rotund feline, his special sumo friend Kuma lets him in again, and this kitty cat begins to train, eventually getting fit enough to restore his honor as a mouser. Kuma meanwhile, inspired by SumoKitty, manages to beat the reigning sumo champion, and become yokozuna himself...SumoKitty is my first picture-book from author/illustrator David Biedrzycki, whose illustrative style reminds me a bit of Rob Scotton, the British creator of Splat the Cat. By turns poignant and humorous, the entertaining narrative here is paired with colorful and cute artwork that perfectly captures the spirit of the story. I particularly liked the droll expressions on both kitty and sumo wrestlers throughout. I also appreciated the use of various sumo terms, and that they were defined on the page, rather than at the back. Entertaining, amusing, and educational, this is a picture-book I would recommend, both to young cat lovers, as well as to any child interested in sumo wrestling.