Godzilla Stomping Into Children’s Book Scene

As you might know by now, Godzilla is one of the most famous kaiju in the world. It’s not hard to see why either. This great, radioactive saurian creature has stomped its way out of the silver screen and into our hearts. From Godzilla’s black and white origins to its most recent appearances in color, Toho’s iconic beast has risen up from its humble Japanese origins into global fame. It’s why there’s so much Godzilla merch all over the world, ranging from toys to video games to books. The lattermost option includes children’s books. As you can tell by the title of this story, our kids are about to get another taste of Godzilla in a kid-friendly way.

Toho International in partnership with Penguin Random House are proud to announce their new children’s book GODZILLA STOMP. This is a new children’s book by award-winning writer Katherine Locke and Emmy-winning artist Nikolas Ilic, and is “the ideal introduction to Godzilla for anyone who loves a bit of chaos in their fairy tales”.

So when can you get GODZILLA STOMP for your kids? Funnily enough, this announcement mentions that the book is now available. You can purchase this children’s book right now from Penguin Random House, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local bookshop, which can all be directly accessed from Katherine Locke’s official website.

Now as for what GODZILLA STOMP is all about? Well, you can read the official synopsis about this children’s book below:

Synopsis

Once upon a time, it was a beautiful day in a fairy-tale village.

Until Godzilla arrived…

STOMP through the story with Godzilla as it roars and wrecks its way through the Gingerbread Man, Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother’s house, and Cinderella’s ball. Godzilla is destroying the whole village—will it ever STOP, not STOMP?

GODZILLA STOMP Stomps into Children’s Books

Honestly, this is a bizarre choice for Toho on the surface. Godzilla appearing as the star in a children’s book? When this kaiju began its career in 1954 as a metaphor for nuclear war and its horrific effects? And when this kaiju typically stars in movies featuring death and destruction? Honestly, it seems like quite the mismatch here in terms of theming.

And yet, it’s not as bizarre as you might think at first. Godzilla’s popularity in Japan means that there is a lot of merch and media featuring this kaiju, including children’s media. Godzilla has appeared in numerous such media in Japan, including the popular Chibi Godzilla Raids Again web series, which features the various monsters that appears in Toho’s movies, including Godzilla, in tiny, adorable, and bite-sized forms.

So it does make sense that a more kid-friendly version of Godzilla would make its way into Western media, including the GODZILLA STOMP that is the star of today’s story. If your kid is interested in Godzilla and wants to get into the franchise, then this might be the book for your kid. Especially if you’re nervous about accidentally scaring off your kid from the franchise as a whole due to how…monstrous some of the kaiju look. Worry not. As you can see by the cover art, this particular incarnation of Godzilla is a cute, squishy version of his usual radioactive self. No need to worry about the weird freakiness of Shin Godzilla or the disturbing nuclear war horror and tragedy of Godzilla Minus One here.

What do you all think? Do you think GODZILLA STOMP looks like a good way to get your kids into the Godzilla franchise? Tell us your stompy thoughts in the comments section below.