Theodore's Superheroes

Despite the winning enthusiams of its tough-but-loveable main character, this picture book's eponymous superheroes seem outdated and its illustrations stiff. Theodore, a stubborn-looking young cat, loves cartoon-inspired costumes. Although his playground friends accept his disguises, another cat named Betty scoffs at his posturing. Giggling at his ``Thunder Boy'' attire and his ``Sherlock Holmes'' bubble-pipe, she teasingly reminds him, ``You are nothing but a little cat.'' This malicious mocking continues until Betty (predictably) falls into a fountain, and Theodore--wearing civvies because his heroic getups are in the wash--wades in to rescue her. Leonard ( Barnaby and the Big Gorilla ) portrays Theodore as collecting likenesses of Garfield (pictured in an incongruous insert) and the Smurfs, comics at which young aficionados might balk. Theodore's more likely belongings include clothes representing Robin Hood, Asterix and Zorro, yet these seem borrowed from an older generation. In addition, Leonard's characters, with their melon-round heads and inflexible, even unfriendly countenances, have a certain uniqueness but lack animation; the book falters, not least because there's nary a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle or one of the X-Men in sight. Ages 3-up. (Oct.)