Mighty Mountain and the Three Strong Women

Considering its rather circuitous route, this picture book about Japanese sumo wrestlers (originally published in Denmark and now translated into English) holds up fairly well. The theme of strong women--here, three generations of a Japanese family--overpowering a supposedly Herculean man (Mighty Mountain, a big brute and sumo aspirant) is somewhat heavy-handed; though commendable for its concerns with women's equality (in this case, actually, women's dominance). On his way to the emperor's wrestling match, Mighty Mountain meets gentle-seeming Kuniko, who literally drags him home to meet the family. Mother appears, carrying the family cow on her shoulders (she ``gets sore feet, if I let her walk on the stony paths''); Grandma uproots an enormous tree because she has stumbled over it once too often. The three women agree that the ``poor weak man'' needs taking in hand, and they turn him into the Oriental Hulk Hogan. The characters have a certain charm, the Japanese costumes are colorfully authentic and the overall mood is quietly amusing. Ages 6-12. (June)