The Greatest of All

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kimmel, Eric. A. 1991. The Greatest Of All: A Japanese Folktale. Ill. by Carmi, Giora. New York, Holiday House. ISBN 0823412032

2. PLOT SUMMARY
One day Chuko Mouse told her father that she wished to marry a handsome mouse, Ko Nezumi. However, her father was so proud of his daughter and wanted his daughter to find the best husband in the world. He went on a journey seeking the greatest husband he could find for his daughter. He asked the Emperor, Sun, Cloud, Wind, and Wall to marry his daughter; however, none of them thought they were the greatest of all. In the end, he found the greatest husband for his daughter; a humble field mouse, Ko Nezumi.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
After reading this Japanese folktale picture book, I found that this book represented Japanese culture in the way the animals dressed, the characters the author created, and the names he used, as well as the words the Emperor wrote in his haiku poem for the wedding. I believe that children would enjoy this book very much because children are always interested in animals, especially animals depicted with human features. The picture book contains some characteristics that make it fun for children, such as repetition, simple and direct words, as well as some educational moments inside the story. I found that the picture book has several strengths, including culture representations, illustrations, and personifications.


Culture representation
The first strength I found was that the story matched Asian and Japanese culture. In Asian, especially in Japan, the father is always the one that makes decisions. Wives and children follow what the father says even if they might not agree. Could you imagine how you would react if your parents asked you to marry someone you did not like in the U.S.? On page 5 and 6, the illustrations also showed the comparison of power between the father mouse and his daughter. The father sat on the chair with big wide open eyes, but the daughter mouse bent her head down as she stood in front of the father mouse to show her respect and concern towards the father mouse as she was talking about the field mouse and marriage with her father. As what I mentioned earlier, the story represented Japanese culture based on the characters the author created, the clothing they wore, their behavior, as well as the names they used.

Personification
This is a traditional folktale and all of characters that were introduced personified human traits and acted like human beings. I was so impressed with the setting and the main protagonist, father mouse, because he was created with an obviously strong pretentious personality. He is very proud of himself in the way he dressed and spoke, as well as the place he stayed. For instance, the father mouse was a sleek creature with shiny fur and stunning whiskers. He said “A humble field mouse! That will never be! My daughter deserves the best and must be the greatest of all.” Also, the mouse family lived in a corner of the Emperor’s palace. All of these sentences and settings helped to convey the father's strong personality.
Furthermore, the other characters, such as Sun, Cloud, Wind, and Wall, also acted as people with human feelings and behaviors.

Illustrations
The last strength I have found was the illustrations. The illustrator created these potential husbands showing their strength, so the father mouse thought they were the greatest candidates to marry his daughter. For example, the Emperor was so big, the Sun was so shiny, and the cloud blew strongly at the father mouse. I really liked the detailed illustrations, especially on page 19 and 20, where the wind blew the cloud and the father mouse. The father mouse had to hold on tightly to the tree and his power sticker just flew away from the strength of the wind. Furthermore, the illustrations also emphasized the comparisons between the big creatures and small creatures, such as the Emperor and the small mouse and the Sun and the small house. The illustrations in the book also represented the cultural setting and the main characters’ personalities.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
On the Amazon’s website, Kirkus Reviews that the illustrator, Giora Carmi, used tall frames and details of dress to suggest a Japanese setting; her style is lively and accessible but undistinguished. The illustrations' muted tomato-soup borders were more distracting than harmonious; however, it is still an acceptable setting for a good story (Amazon, 2011).
The Publisher’s Weekly review stated that the warm colors and distinctive texture marks made the illustrations and story more effective and represented renderings of anthropomorphic natural elements.
The Children’s Literature review indicated that superb details abound in the full-page sketches providing the particulars on ancient Japanese architecture, costume, and design.

5. CONNECTIONS
I found another Japanese folktale book entitled, Three Samurai Cats, that was also created by Kimmel. It is a relative book using the animals as the main characters to tell the story.
Kimmel, Eric. A. 2004. Three Samurai Cats: A Story From Japan. New York, Holiday House. ISBN: 0823418774
Another relative book entitled, Pippa Mouse, also used a mouse as the main character. After reading the reviews from different websites, I posted the book on my blog because it is a traditional folktale that people in the U.S. heard when they were young.
Boegehold, Betty D. 1973. Pippa Mouse. Ill. by Szekeres, Cyndy. New York, Knopf Books. ISBN: 0394926714

References
Amazon. com., accessed Feb 20, 2011, http://www.amazon.com/Pippa-Mouse-Read-Aloud-Read-Alone-Stories/dp/0394926714
Amazon. com., accessed Feb 21, 2011, http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-All-Japanese-Folktale/dp/082340885X

The article was created on Feb. 22, 2011