The Mitten

The illustrations in this book were bloody great. As the pages go by and you see more and more animals get into the mitt, the authors really paid attention to the way the yarn in the mitt would get stretched/stressed out, the eye to detail is just fascinating. with a humorous story to go with it.

When I selected Ukraine for an "Around the World" challenge, I had no idea how difficult it would be to find original fairy and folktales, collections, or modern retellings in print. I didn't realize how much Ukraine's history had impacted their ability to preserve traditions, customs and folklore. So I stuck with my research and discovered one of the most widely read Ukrainian folktales is "The Mitten." My first experience with the tale was this 1964 version, translated and retold by Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Yaroslava, which I quite enjoyed. But by far the most popular English version was this one, retold and illustrated by Jan Brett, first published in 1989.

This retelling's mittens were pure white and hand-knitted. The animals show more in order of occupancy: mole, rabbit, hedgehog, owl, badger, fox, bear -- and finally, a tiny mouse who caused the bear to sneeze, which threw all the animals outta the mitten. The boy sees the mitten fly into the air and recovers his lost mitten, for a happily ever after. I thought the naturally stretchy material added a bit more realism to the overloaded mitten and also made the ending more comical because of the one very stretched out mitten beside the normal-sized one.

The illustrations in Brett's version are highly detailed and beautiful. This alone could be one reason why people so prefer it to Tresselt's version. I can imagine, as a child, reading Brett's adaptation, those images would likely stick with them longer than the more simplistic illustrations by Yaroslava. However, I still prefer the 1964 version (that cricket at the end cracks me up).

4 stars show less

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 thought this book adequate. Reading it made me nostalgic because I can remember reading this book in elementary school. The language was clear and repetitive to develop a theme I believe. I noticed this when all the animals said "Let me come in... Please! My toes are cold as ice!" As each animal came by they all said the same thing eventually making room for everyone in the mitten. The plot showed that some of the biggest animals can fit into a tiny space, but when a little mouse came along to lay in the mitten, the mitten exploded. I thought the idea of this was ironic because mice can usually fit in very tiny spaces. I also think that the illustrations were very specific and did a good job of depicting how the mitten exploded when show more all the animals tried to squeeze inside. The illustrator also did a good job of showing the disappointment on the little boys face when he saw that his mitten was torn apart. I think that the big picture of this story is that you shouldn't fret over the little things like a mitten because they can always be remade. 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 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.

This is such a cute book! The characters are very well-developed because of how believable this author illustrated the characters when making room for other animals within the mitten. It was a good plot because the little boy's grandmother told him not to lose his mittens, but he did to the animals. He eventually gets his mitten just before he goes back to his grandmother's house. It kept the reader wondering whether or not he was going to have the mitten back in time. The purpose of this story is to stretch the imagination of children, when all of the animals try to squeeze into the mitten. It also pushes readers to think about how they could help others. For example, the little boy allowed the animals to stay in the mitten because he show more could have thought they were cold. Overall, great read! show less