The Mitten
Author and Illustrator: Jan Brett
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Year of Publication: 1989
Genre: Folktale
Horn Book rating: 2
Summary: In this book, a young boy is given a pair of mittens by his grandmother, who insists one will be lost in the snow due to the white color. When one is lost, a variety of animals huddle in the mitten to stay warm, until one animal comes along, sneezes, and causes the mitten to shoot in the direction of the young boy.
Summary of Professional Reviews: I could only find three different reviews for this book, not including a Kirkus review. One review gave the book a two, while the other gave it a four. There were many references to the different illustrations in the book, the book includes border illustrations which help the reader see where the young boy is and what he is actually doing while the animals are using his mitten.
Review by Sarah Custard: I think this is a good story for children because it involves animals and most children enjoy those types of books. The plot is was well thought out, along with the illustrations. If the pictures were not in the book, you would still be able to picture what was happening in the story, the pictures just add to it and paint a much better picture. Some of the words in the story were a little too big for someone of the Kindergarten age, words like "silhouetted" and "lumbered". I feel like the students would not be able to pronounce or understand the words. Including the border pictures was a brilliant idea because it keeps the young boy involved while the story continues to explain what is occurring with the animals in the mitten. The only thing that I would change is the part about the bear; bears hibernate in the winter, so it is not possible that the bear would walking around in the middle of the day.
This book would be useful when teaching a lesson about winter. A teacher could include a lesson about how the students need to dress when it is cold outside or playing in the snow, or they could teach a lesson on different animals in the winter. It could also incorporate teaching colors, such as the colors of the animals and mittens. It would be good to read it between the months of December and February when it is more likely for the weather to be cold and include snowing.
Review by Sarah Custard: I think this is a good story for children because it involves animals and most children enjoy those types of books. The plot is was well thought out, along with the illustrations. If the pictures were not in the book, you would still be able to picture what was happening in the story, the pictures just add to it and paint a much better picture. Some of the words in the story were a little too big for someone of the Kindergarten age, words like "silhouetted" and "lumbered". I feel like the students would not be able to pronounce or understand the words. Including the border pictures was a brilliant idea because it keeps the young boy involved while the story continues to explain what is occurring with the animals in the mitten. The only thing that I would change is the part about the bear; bears hibernate in the winter, so it is not possible that the bear would walking around in the middle of the day.
This book would be useful when teaching a lesson about winter. A teacher could include a lesson about how the students need to dress when it is cold outside or playing in the snow, or they could teach a lesson on different animals in the winter. It could also incorporate teaching colors, such as the colors of the animals and mittens. It would be good to read it between the months of December and February when it is more likely for the weather to be cold and include snowing.