Arlington:
First Step
Preschool

7377 Chateau
Parma Hts, OH 44130

phone: 440-885-8645
fax: 440-842-9832

                             Story of the Month

    This story is available at the First Step Library

The Mitten - adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett

Summary:  This is an old Ukranian folk tale.  Baba, Nicki's grandmother, knits him a pair of snow white mittens.  When Nicki drops a mitten in the snow and does not realize it is missing, the animals of the forest find it and crawl in to sleep.  Each animal is bigger than the last and the mitten stretches and grows to accommodate the animals.  Until, that is, a tiny mouse makes his way in.....

Hints for reading aloud

While reading the story, have or help your child name the animals that are introduced.  After each animal crawls into the mitten, ask your child "Where did the _____ go?"  Periodically ask your child to describe how the mitten is changing (it's getting bigger).  Compare the difference between the two mittens at the end of the story.  Discuss with your child whether they think this is a real story or pretend. 

Things to use at home

old mittens/gloves          magazines to cut up      glue
drawing paper                markers/crayons            scissors

Activities

• Use drawing paper and make a large cut-out mitten.  Cut out pictures of animals from old magazines and glue onto the mitten.  Name the animals and compare their sizes.

• Collect all of the family gloves and mittens.  Put them in a bag.  Pull out individually and find the matching pairs.  Describe one detail about each pair.

• Additional activites for this book and others by the same author can be found at  Jan Brett's Web site.

Help promote literacy in early childhood. 
Please visit the Cuyahoga County Library!