The Mitten!

Yet another great find at my local thrift store! "The Mitten" which is adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett. This book caught my attention because it is based on a Ukrainian Folktale. Many of the folktales I have read are from European or American descent like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Cinderella". This book is richly illustrated with the Ukrainian culture. The story is about a young boy named Nicki who wanted his grandmother to knit him mittens made from wool as white as snow. Already, from the first two pages, an abundance of information can be gathered about the culture. We notice that it is winter, so they must have snow in the Ukraine. Also, Nicki is wearing clothes that looks very different to what children wear here in North America. We can also gather that children of this culture have relationships with their grandparents, like many of us.  All these things can be discussed in the classroom or at home. It is important to expand children's mental lexicon. Connections are crucial to valuable learning and finding similarities and differences relating to themselves strengthens these connections. As the story continues we find out Nicki's grandmother made him the snow white mittens and, as she suspected, his loses one while playing outside.

As I turn the pages I can't help but notice the illustrations on the far end of each page. They actually are clues to what is going to happen next. I love this idea because it gives the child a sense of ownership over the book. They can accurately predict what is going to happen next, keeping them engaged making them feel that they are an integral part of the story. In the folktale many animals find the mitten and squeeze it because it is so cozy and warm. The animals include a mole, a rabbit, a hedgehog, an owl, a badger, a fox and a bear. Ironically, its a tiny mouse that disrupts the coziness of this little mitten home.

The highly detailed illustrations gives the reader an accurate sense of the physical characteristics of these animals, even down to their little footprints in the snow.

I would consider this a cumulative folktale because of the repetitious actions of the animals. Young children love these kinds of stories because, like I said before, they can join in and feel connected to it.

Like my copy of "Alphabet City", "The mitten has a wonderful personal message written on the inside.

It reads:

            Happy Birthday Thomas,
                                      Love Grandma


Simple and sweet. Maybe his grandma knits him mittens or Thomas has a tendency to loose his mittens. Either way she chose this book for a reason and I hope Thomas appreciated the love from his grandma.