The story is about a little boy, Nikki who loses the “white mitten” in the snow that his Babba had made for him. The mitten becomes a refuge for many animals seeking warmth from a cold winter’s day. The language is filled with repetitive phrases, rhyme, and rhythm. The story is direct with little ambiguity. Although the story is about a lost mitten, the story’s magic and whimsy comes from the animals in the woods. As each animal squeezes inside the mitten, the mitten stretches and stretches, until it finally explodes. Love is at the core of this story as shown in relationship between Nikki and his grandmother, and the willingness of each animal to make room for just one more. The expressive illustrations are captured using gouache and watercolor with ink outlining McClintock illustrations capture the whimsy and wonderful expressions on the animals faces. Included on the back cover of the book is a recipe for Hot Cocoa, just like Grandma would make! Great book for school. Lesson plans include making mittens, sharing, helping others. Story intended for (P). K-2 Story is great for sequencing of events. I am thinking of using it in our comprehension lesson which teaches a retelling strategy. This book could be used in so many ways. In addition, there are a ton of useful online materials to use this book in a learning center. For example, this book could be used to teach sequencing and prediction strategies to young children. Each animal is seen on the previous page and kindergarteners love predicting the next animal. They get so much joy when they realize the next animal is easily predictable.
What do You think about The Mitten (2009)?
I love this story and the illustrations in this version are wonderful.
—john
Cute story, but really a story within a story.
—caroline
