One Sunday in summer the Little Sumo told Mummy that he wanted to go somewhere fun.
“How about going to the shop that sells shaved ice?” said Mummy.
“No, thank you, Mummy,” said the Little Sumo. “I had shaved ice with strawberry sauce last Sunday.”
“Then how about going to the fire station?” said Daddy. “You can look at the huge ladder on the fire engine.”
“Can I climb the ladder?” asked the Little Sumo.
“No,” said Daddy. “You can just look at it, and pretend that you are a fireman.”
“Then I don’t want to go to the fire station today, Daddy.” The Little Sumo thought for a moment. “We haven’t been to Koenji recently. Why don’t we go there?”
Koenji was a nice area of Tokyo, not far from where the Little Sumo lived. There was a shop which sold fried chicken there, and a little park with a slide and swings. But mostly the Little Sumo liked to go to Koenji, because he and Mummy and Daddy always went there by bus. The Little Sumo liked to travel on the bus.
“Let’s go to Koenji!” said Mummy and Daddy together.
Mummy and Daddy and the Little Sumo got ready to leave. The Little Sumo put on his hat and sun-block to protect him from the sunshine. And he hung a water bottle around his neck, in case he got thirsty. Then he picked up three balloons, and he gave one to Mummy, and one to Daddy, and kept one for himself. He had been given the balloons at a party recently, and liked to carry them around.
“I’m not sure we need these balloons,” said Daddy. “We will have to hold them all day, and be careful not to let them burst.”
But the Little Sumo insisted. So the three of them were soon standing at the bus stop, each holding a balloon, waiting for the bus to arrive.
A long green bus pulled up at the bus stop, and the doors opened.
“That bus is going to Koenji,” said Mummy. “Let’s get on it.”
But then from inside the bus came a strange noise. It was a little like the sound a cat makes, but it was much louder and deeper.
“Roar! Roar! ROAR!” came the noise from inside the bus.
“My goodness,” said Daddy. “What can that noise be?”
“It’s a lion!” said the Little Sumo. “Mummy, Daddy: I don’t want to get on this bus!”
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Will Mummy, Daddy, and the Little Sumo get eaten by a lion? Will they survive to see Koenji? Find out next time!
Vocabulary:
a ladder – a tool used to climb up or down using both hands and feet
sun-block – a cream spread on the skin to protect the skin from strong sunlight
to burst – of a pressurised object, such as a tyre or balloon, to suddenly break apart
to insist – to refuse to back down, or to refuse to accept, “No,” for an answer
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