The Mightiest

by Keiko Kasza

When three friends find a golden crown on a rock in the forest, they argue over who should wear it. Written on the rock is the "For the mightiest." But who is the mightiest? When a tiny old woman comes along, Bear, Elephant and Lion agree to take turns to see who can scare her the best. But their contest goes awry when a GIANT appears to claim the crown for his own. Is he the mightiest? Not if the tiny old woman has anything to say about she's his mom. And she's not too happy about her son being such a bully!

Keiko's latest charmer plays with size and power, in her inimitable style, with adorable animals, perfect pacing and hilarious understatement. As any kid knows, there's no one mightier than Mom.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Pre K, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 10, 2001

About the author

Keiko was born on a small island in the Inland Sea of Japan. She grew up in a typical Japanese extended family with her parents, two brothers, and grandparents. Uncles, aunts, and cousins also lived nearby. She came to the United States in 1973 to continue her education, and in 1976 she graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in graphic arts from California State University at Northridge.
While working as a graphic designer, Keiko read Leo Lionni’s masterful work, Frederick, and she became interested in picture books. She began experimenting with picture books in her free time. Her first book was published in 1981 in Japan and thereafter she continued to publish in her native language. The Wolf’s Chicken Stew, a 1987 ALA notable book and the winner of the 1989 Kentucky Bluegrass Award, was her first work to be published in the United States. She has now published 22 books and her work is translated into 16 languages.

Keiko compares the process of creating a book to acting on stage under the lights: “I become the character that I’m working on at that moment. I pretend that I’m a bird looking for a mother, or a pig trying to impress his girlfriend. When I’m acting, I’m a child myself.” Her ambition is not to create a hundred books but to create one really good book that will be kept on the bookshelves for generations (although a hundred good books would be even better, of course!)

Keiko Kasza lives in Bloomington, Indiana with her husband, a professor of Japanese politics at Indiana University, and they have two sons.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear, Elephant, and Lion come across a golden crown on a rock in the middle of a forest. The rock states that the crown is “For the Mightiest.” As a result, the three animals begin to argue over who should get the crown. Suddenly, they see an old woman walking toward them. They decide that whoever scares her the most will be the winner of the crown. Each animal takes turn trying the scare the woman. Then, a giant appears and demands that they give him the crown. The three animals are crying for help when they are rescued by the woman’s screech. The animals wind up getting the crown back and presenting it to the old woman. In the end, the woman decides that she doesn’t need the crown and places it back on the rock. It seems like peace has been restored until another group of friends find the rock and crown.

Keiko Kasza has created another great picture book for kids. The story structure is clear and the storyline is humorous. Students will be able to retell the sequence of events with ease. They will even see the surprising twist toward the end with the old woman scaring the giant. Like many other books by Kasza, readers will see the ending and recognize that they are left wondering what will happen next. Students can practice making inferences throughout, especially at the end of the book. I recommend students in grades 2-4 to use this for sequencing.

[Aneesa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hardy har

[Hypatia's Dream · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que buena historia para entender que lo mejor es no ser materialista y sobre todo, no creerse superior a los demás o pelear por cuestiones que no valen la pena. Muy graciosos los personajes y las ilustraciones no con sutiles colores de dibujos clásicos.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Crown says "For the Mightiest. I can just imagine this book going the way of the Golden Apple that said "To the Fairest." But that's not what happens. Though it starts with contention, but with meet with compassion, obedience, and humility along the way.

* Talking Points - Are shows of worldly power necessary? Are they good? Why and why not? How does it make you feel when the animals are fighting over the crown? How does it make you feel when the Giant is obedient to his mom? What do you think when the mom refuses the crown? What awards have you won? How did it make you feel?

** Essential Oil Pairing Tip - This book starts with contention and ends with potential contention. So if you have contention in your home, may I suggest diffusing it with doTERRA's Peace essential oil blend.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was very cute and teaches a great lesson to students, and i would suggest it for 1st-3rd grade students. It is about three animals who find a crown in the forest that should go to the mightiest person, so they all fight for it. Then an old woman saves them, and they think she should be mightiest, but she thinks her old hat is enough and doesn't need a crown. It shows how the mightiest doesn't have to be the biggest or strongest, just the kindest. I think it teaches the children to be kind.

[Carine Roch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who needs a crown?

[Veronica Molina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una linda historia con un giro inesperado para los pequeños. Y con un final abierto para seguir conversando.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story about who is the mightiest and it is not who you think!

[Libby Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever story with the feel of a fable about what it really means to be mighty.

Fun illustrations and fun moments for kids to be involved by making loud animal noises. :)

Highly recommended 2-6

[Vicky Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encanta, deja una enseñanza y se presta para muchos comentarios divertidos con los niños 💖 5/5

[josefa mery · Rating 3 out of 5]

las weas q leo por el hablando contigo q mas

[Heather Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely and funny story about competition and not judging a book by its cover. Once the lesson is learned, the reader sees how the cycle starts over again. Gorgeous illustrations.

[Manolo V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una fábula que creo repite de otra anterior. No sorprende especialmente.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story about pride and bragging

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A humorous story of a lion, an elephant and a bear who find a crown sitting on a rock labeled "for the Mightiest." Each automatically assumes that he is the mightiest. They decide to choose the mightiest by seeing who can scare a little old lady the most. Each animal is equally successful at scaring the lady, so they go back to fighting over it.

All of a sudden, a giant shows up and snatches all three of them up into the air. As the lion, elephant and bear and struggling to free themselves, the giant is surprised by his mother, the little old lady who demands that he put them down.

After this, the little old lady is chosen to be the mightiest. Even though she's tickled pink she doesn't need a crown. So it goes back on the rock and stays there until another trio comes along.

[Angela Hutchinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a comical book about three animals, a lion, an elephant, and a bear who find a crown in the forest sitting on a rock that states "For the Mightiest." So, the three animals decide they are going to scare a little old lady to see who was the mightiest one of them all. Well, they all scared the lady off. Then, a giant of a man came along to take possession of the crown from the animals, when the little old lady came back. She scolded the giant man and he retreated in his actions. It was then decided, the little old lady was the mightiest of them all, but she did not want the crown so they placed it back on the rock...to be found by another set of friends. This would be a good book to use for predicting with younger students.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story about creatures who compete for the title of 'The Mightiest.' The story shows the their folly and that even those who appear small or weak might actually wield the most might. And I adore that the story shows that even a giant must behave for Mom.

I thought the ending was quite appropriate, as it seems the struggle for power and might is never ending. The illustrations are humorous and colorful and complement the story nicely. We really enjoyed reading this story together.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lion, a bear and an elephant try to prove they are the mightiest by scaring a little old woman. However, the tables turn on them when a giant scares all three of them. The giant happens to be the son of the little old woman. When everyone tries to present the little old woman with the crown that they all coveted, mom puts the crown back. The moral of the story becomes, "the mightiest didn't need a crown after all!"

[Victoria Montgomery]

The Mightiest takes place in the forest when three characters (animals) come up to a mysteriously random crown sitting on a stump. They all argue over who the crown belongs to. They decide to test who is the "mightiest" by scaring an innocent old lady who is walking along. The one who ends up the "mightiest" si very unexpected.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another tale of animals arguing over who is the mightiest. This time it's a lion, an elephant, and a bear. Their quarrel is sparked when they find a crown in the middle of the forest on a rock label "for the mightiest." They vie with each other, but in the end who turns out to be the mightiest is a bit of surprise.

Okay illustrations.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three animals- a lion, elephant and bear find a crown and argue who has the right to keep it. It is decided it will go to the animal who can scare a little old lady. But then a giant grabs all three arguing animals and only the little old lady can save them. The book starts over as the crown is left and three more animals approach.

[Drew Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good picture book about competing to be the best. In the end it turns out the character portrayed by a grandmother was the mightiest but she did not want to accept the title. Always give your best effort!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An elephant, a bear, and a lion find a crown in the forest that says for the mightiest. But who is the mightiest? Is it one of them or someone else? Liked the humor and loved who was the mightiest but preschool for length.

[Rose]

E Kas

[Jen H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story about 3 animals fighting over a crown that they find for the mightiest. Lesson- the mightiest doesn't need the crown.

[Pedro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. I usually read it at story time right before Mother's day. Every mother can control they're ginat baby.

[Erin Sterling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for prediction/inference. Could be a good readers' theater too.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Anj · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. It was a fun story. I'm not dying to own it but I wouldn't mind checking it out from the library again.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just bought this for my 3.5 year old son who enjoyed the story. It is well written and I enjoy the message.