When mouse maiden Chuko asks her father to be allowed to marry Ko Nezumi the field mouse, her proud father at first refuses. As mice who live in the Japanese Emperor's palace, Father Mouse believes that they are special, and is determined to have only the greatest of bridegrooms for his daughter. Beginning with the Emperor himself, Father Mouse offers his daughter to various prospective grooms, only to continually discover that there is always someone greater, whether it be the sun, the clouds, the wind, or the wall. Eventually his search leads him to an unexpected but entirely appropriate match for Chuko...

According to author Eric A. Kimmel's brief author's note, the source material for The Greatest of All: A Japanese Folktale was Yoshiko Uchida's story, The Wedding Mouse, in the collection The Dancing Kettle and Other Japanese Folk Tales. This tale type, in which a father mouse seeks the grandest of all possible mates for his daughter, is one I have seen in multiple cultures, and encountered in various picture-books. Ed Young tells a Chinese version of it in his Mouse Match, whereas Ekkehart Malotki relates a Hopi version in The Mouse Couple. I have also seen a Mayan variant, retold by Judith Dupre in The Mouse Bride. It's interesting to see the same story retold by such geographically distant cultures! However that may be, I found Kimmel's telling here engaging, and I also enjoyed Giora Carmi's artwork. Recommended to all young folklore enthusiasts! ( )

" The Greatest of All" is about a father mouse trying to find the greatest of all husband for his daughter mouse. She wanted to marry a mouse named Ko Nezumi. Father mouse does not want his beautiful daughter marrying a humble field mouse. He goes to an emperor who tells him that there is one greater. Each man he visits (The sun, cloud, wind, and wall) tell him there is someone still greater. In the wall lives Ko Nezumi, the field mouse who is said to be the greatest of them all. The daughter is then married to the mouse, the perfect spouse, and all attend the wedding. ( )

This is a beautifully written Japanese folktale about patience & humility! Incorporating the elements, a great emperor, & a simple mouse creating a journey for an elder as well as a parent in which he (elder mouse) learns a valuable life lesson!
I also find that this author offers wonderful notes in his books, sometime explaining certain foreign customs or words that a young reader might not understand. ( )