Tomatoes from Mars

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Summary: Dr. Schtickle and a Schpitzer Saves the Day!
Review: The day the 'Tomatoes from Mars' invaded Minneapolis was something to be reckoned with. These giant trouble-making invaders has the whole planet painted red. Now, that's what I call painting the town red :)! The President at the White House call on all scientists to find a solution to stop those bad tomatoes. Will nothing stop them? Until Dr. Schtickle (who is an amazing likeness to Albert Einstein) calls the President with an idea to keep the tomatoes at bay. When the peace messages don't work, the President has other plans to blast the menacing over-sized veggies. When Dr. Schtickle asked for a second chance to stop them, the President gives him just 24 hours.

In the meantime, Dr. Schtickle is so nervous with so little time to act on a plan. His niece Sally suggests he'd eat something to help him think better. Sally goes makes him a salad in the kitchen. From out of the sky the tomatoes make their way to Dr. Schtickle's apartment. Oh, my what will the good Dr. and his niece Sally do? Make a salad? He gets an idea to grab a schpitzer and fill it with a secret weapon. The secret?-olive oil, vinegar and lots of herbs! The fate of the world rest in the hands of Dr. Schtickle and a schpitzer? He schpitzed those giant red menaces into a salad frenzy. Sending them back into outer space. In the end Dr. Schtickle gets a red badge of courage and declares that there are onion rings around Saturn. Arthur Yorinks writes really humorous children's books a kind-of Dr. Seuss meets The Far Side. Yorinks has also written 'Louie the Fish' and 'Christmas in July.' If you like to make your kids laugh. You're sure to find a tickle bone with Yorinks' books.

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Summary: Attack of the Tomatoes.
Review: While reading TOMATOES FROM MARS, I couldn't but help be reminded of the cult movie ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES. In some ways, this story is a G-rated version of that movie, but there are several differences. Instead of Killer Tomatoes, these Tomatoes from Mars are only interested in dying everything red with their alien juice. That's what they did with Mars and that's what they want to do with Earth. When most other plans fail, the President calls upon a famed scientist, who was ridiculed at the beginning of the story, to form a plan to rid the Earth of the menacing fruits. His first plan fails, but then he is inspired by his niece with a second plan which seems to save the day.

The illustrations in the story are quite vivid and somewhat lifelike. Kids like this book for the story, but adults will enjoy it for the illustrations. For example, the scientist in the story resembles Albert Einstein and his foxy niece looks like a swimsuit model. A delightful book and for less than seven dollars, it is a bargain.