Greatest of All - Hardcover

Kimmel, Eric A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 082340885X ISBN 13: 9780823408856

Publisher: Holiday House, 1991

Synopsis

A mouse father, in search of the mightiest husband for his daughter, approaches the emperor, the sun, a cloud, the wind, and a wall, before the unexpected victor finally appears

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Kimmel ( Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock ; Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins ) concisely retells this pleasant if low-key tale of a self-important mouse who lives in the emperor's palace and dresses in fine silk. He refuses to allow his daughter to marry a humble field mouse, announcing that whomever she marries "must be the greatest of all." His quest to find the individual who fits this description begins with the emperor, who sends him to bright Sun, who defers to Cloud, who insists that Wind is far greater than he: "When Wind blows, clouds scatter." In the end, of course, the mouse discovers that it is not these powerful forces but the hard-working field mouse who deserves his daughter's hand. Warm colors and distinctive texture mark Carmi's ( And Shira Imagined ; The Chanukkah Guest ) illustrations, which include effective renderings of the anthropomorphic natural elements. Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews:

In this smooth retelling of ``The Wedding of the Mouse,'' from Uchida's classic The Dancing Kettle (1947), Father Mouse approaches the emperor as the greatest possible bridegroom for his daughter. Not so, says the emperor: the sun can make him seek shade. The mouse pursues his quest from sun to cloud to wind to wall, only to have the wall demur like the others: one day the tunneling field mouse will bring him down, he says, so the mouse maiden is allowed to wed her own beloved after all. Carmi uses 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 more distracting than harmonious. Still, an acceptable setting for a good story. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-10) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 082340885X
• ISBN 13: 9780823408856
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 30
• Illustrator: Carmi Giora