The Mitten

The Mitten is one of Jan Brett’s stand-alone children’s books that’s based on a Ukrainian folk tale. It tells the story of a young boy named Nicki who begs his Baba for a pair of white mittens. She warns that if he loses one in the snow it will be difficult to find, but he’s insistent that they must be white. No sooner does he have his new mittens, than he goes out to play and drops one. He obliviously continues to play, while all the woodland animals come to investigate this object. One animal after another decides it will make a warm, cozy home until the poor mitten is stuffed to bursting. It’ll be so much more fun to find out on your own, so I won’t reveal what happens next. Suffice it to say that it has an amusing show more ending.

I’ve had my eye on Jan Brett’s books for a while because of the lovely covers and the high ratings her work usually garners. The Mitten turned out to be a nice introduction to her work. It tells a cute, humorous story. It’s perhaps a bit far-fetched that so many animals could fit inside one small mitten, but I’m sure it will entertain kids with it’s silliness. What stands out most about the story, though, are the beautiful illustrations. I love picture books where the illustrations can practically tell the story on their own and this is just such a book. Each of the main pictures that go along with the text span two pages, but along the sides there are smaller inset illustrations that show the reader what’s going on peripherally, which I thought was ingenious. The pictures alone made this worth the read. The Mitten was an enjoyable book that I hope to share with my grandkids and that has left me looking forward to checking out more of Ms. Brett’s work. show less

I have always been a fan of Jan Brett’s work since my father read me Gingerbread Baby every night. The Mitten is no exception with its vibrant illustrations and suspenseful dialogue. I love how Jan Brett illustrates foreshadowing on the side panels. The reader can see a snippet of what is to come on the next page. Specifically, as animals fill the mitten, the panel shows the next animal which will stumble upon the boy’s white mitten. There are also sneaky pictures of what animals are hiding inside logs, under rocks, etc. I like that the reader sees more than the main character. I enjoy the humor woven in, like when the bear sneezes and every animal shoots out of the mitten. One complaint I have is the little boy has little to no show more characterization. We just know he wants white mittens from his grandmother, but this does put a nice emphasis on the various animals. This book shows the message of humor and animal intelligence. It is more of a fun story to share for its illustrations. show less

A beautiful adaptation of a Ukrainian folktale. Nikki goes out into the snow with his snow white mittens and promptly loses on of them. Many animals find it and squeeze in one by one to stay warm, way more than would be possible outside of a story! The illustrations are very detailed and realistic with side panels on each page that give a little sneak peak into what is coming. Brett also included many elements specifically from Ukrainian culture and history into her illustrations.

This book got its start as a Ukrainian folktale. A young boy is given some snow white mittens by his grandmother and he assures her that he will not lose them. Lo and behold he drops one and doesn't realize it. All sorts of woodland creatures crawl into the mitten to stay warm and the mitten stretches and stretches. The beautiful artwork allows the reader to see what is coming next and what might be going on behind the scenes. The ratio of words on the page to picture makes this book idea for a story-time setting. The comical ending is one that has kept the kids I know returning to the story again and again.

Jan Bretts wonderful story line draws students in along with the eye catching pictures! A little boy loses his mitten in the woods. Many animals take shelter in this mitten. When the last animal climbs in, which happens to be a mouse, he makes the bear sneeze so hard that the mitten flies up into the air right in front of the little boy. Jan Brett does a great job keeping kids attention on this story. I love the pictures on the side of the book that lets the students get a sneak peak as to what is happening next!

A funny story with one very warm mitten, several cute forest animals, and an explosive finale. I love the clever way each page has two different elements of the story simultaneously unfolding in the center and side illustrations.

Who thought that so many animals could fir inside a single snow white mitten? It doesn't surprise me at all that some of the best known Ukrainian folktales are all about Winter, because it is the dominant season of the year and stories of miraculous survival would have given people something to think about through the cold months. Brett's lush illustration of each page tells the current action and the detailed borders presage te coming story. The amount of detail that she includes is likely to please and astound both parents and children for ages for come.