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"THE MITTEN" AND MITTEN STORIES (excerpts from Storytell posts plus original research) Scroll down or click on your choice below • Books about "The Mitten" and Mitten stories - Children • Fun Products - Mittens - Children • Online links to Stories/Info - "The Mitten"-Mittens • SOS - Searching Out Stories/Info - "The Mitten" story Advice, Comments and References from Storytellers, Teachers and Librarians |
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BOOKS - MITTENS - "THE MITTEN" STORY - CHILDREN
Book titles are in blue and underlined. Click on them to find out more about the books and how to buy them.
To retell any stories, obtain permission from the copyright holder if the material is not in the public domain.
In performance, always credit your sources.
Alphabetized for your convenience with short descriptions to save you research time.
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Any Room for Me? by Pauly Lawson with Loek Koopmans (illus). (1992 - Baby-Preschool) A woodcutter drops his mitten in the forest one day and it becomes a warm house for a mouse. Then, one by one, a few other animals want to move in too! |
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Buying Mittens by Nankichi Nimi with Judith Carol Huffman (translator) and Ken Kuroi (illus). (1999 - Ages 4-8) When a cold winter comes to the forest, a little fox awakens one morning to the magic of a first snow-fall. His romp in the snow is cut short, however, when his cold, wet paws turn peony colored. What he needs, his mother decides, are some woolen mittens the size of his little paws. |
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Caps, Hats, Socks And Mittens by Louise W. Borden. (1992 - Ages 4-8) Reader review: "Better get out your caps, hats, socks, and mittens for the wintertime. What a better way to learn about the seasons than in a childhood book. In this book children will learn about Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter and how they rotate." |
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Missing Mittens (MathStart 1) by Stuart J. Murphy with G. Brian Karas (illus). (2000 - Ages 4-8) Every animal on Farmer Bill's farm is missing one mitten. Readers can investigate odd and even numbers as they unravel this mitten mystery! |
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Missing Mitten Mystery, The (Picture Puffin Books) by Steven Kellogg (illus). (2002-Ages 4-8) Annie and her dog, Oscar, have had a busy day playing in the snow. But Annie's red mitten has disappeared in all the fun. They look high and low....It's not on the sledding hill, it's not by the snow castles. Maybe an eagle carried it off to keep its baby's head warm? Or maybe.... |
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Mitten, The by Jan Brett. (1989 - Ages 4-8)A Ukrainian boy named Nicki wants his grandmother Baba to knit snow-white mittens for him. She warns her grandson that a white mitten will be hard to find if he loses it in the snow, but of course he promptly does just that! What happens next is the surprising part... |
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Mitten, The by Alvin Tresselt with Yaroslova (illus). (1989 - Ages 4-8)Deep in the woods on the coldest day of winter a little boy drops his mitten. And that lost mitten stretches and stretches -- and stretches -- to provide shelter for many woodland creatures. A Ukrainian folk tale. |
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Mitten Tree, The by Candace Christiansen with Elaine Greenstein (illus). (2008 - Ages 4-8)One snowy day, an elderly woman watches children gathering at the bus stop. While they never seem to notice her, she notices them, especially one little boy who has no mittens. That night, Sarah knits the boy a pair of cozy mittens and places them on the blue spruce tree for him to discover. It soon becomes a game... |
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Mittens (My First I Can Read) by Lola M. Schafer with Susan Kathleen Hartung (illus). (2007 - Ages 4-8) Mittens is a small, shy kitten in a big, new house. Will he find a place just for him? |
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Mountain of Mittens, A by Lynn Plourde with Mitch Vane (illus). (2007 - Ages 4-8)Every morning Molly's parents remind her to come home after school with her mittens, and every day Molly forgets. Nothing works -- not Velcro, not crochet chains, not even duct tape! But, Molly is not alone. All the kids at school forget, and soon there is a mountain of mittens in lost-and-found that has grown out of control. |
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My Red Mittens by Jane E. Gerver with Melanie Mitchell (illus). (2004 - Ages 4-8)A small boy delights in a winter's day as he dons a new pair of fuzzy red mittens and goes out to play in the snow. Children will love touching the flocked red mittens throughout, as they follow the boy's adventures building a snowman, knocking down icicles, packing snowballs, and more. |
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Noah's Mittens by Lise Lunge-Larsen with Matthew Trueman (illus). (2006 - Ages 4-8)We all know the story of Noah building the ark. Who would have guessed, though, that his woolly friends aboard the ark would help him make his most delightful discovery? |
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Nursery Rhyme Knits: Hats, Mittens & Scarves with Kids' Favorite Verses by Teresa Boyer. (2006 - Adults)“Mary had a little lamb,” and so can any child, on a beautiful, bright knit. Thirty charming, intermediate-level projects give knitters a wonderful opportunity to delight their children with beloved nursery rhymes on handmade mittens, scarves, hats, vests, or blankets. |
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Old Man's Mitten, The by Yevonne Pollock with Trish Hill (illus). (1994 - Ages 4-8) |
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One Mitten by Kristine O'Connell George with Maggie Smith (illus). (2004 - Ages 4-8)What can you do with only one mitten? Use your imagination! Award-winning poet Kristine O’Connell George shows that the simplest object can be a springboard into playful exploration. |
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Runaway Mittens by Jean Rogers with Rie Munoz (contributor). (1988 - Ages 4-8)Pica's mittens are always turning up in strange places, but when he finds them keeping the newborn puppies warm in their box, he decides to leave them where they are until spring. |
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Smitten  by David Gordon (illus). (2007 - Ages 4-8)Sock and Mitten are both lost singles in a city full of pairs. Mitten is a left without her right. Sock is neither left nor right, but he knows how she feels. They set off on an adventure to find their other halves. But what they find instead is something much, much better: each other. |
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Sunny's Mittens  by Robin Hansen. (2006 - Ages 4-8)Sunny's first knitting project -- a scarf -- is so boring that she never bothers to finish it. But when she wears holes in her mittens, her grandmother decides that Sunny should learn to knit something fun and useful: Swedish Lovikka mittens! |
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Three Little Kittens Book & CD (Read Along Book & CD)  by Paul Galdone. (1988 - Ages 4-8)The favorite Mother Goose rhyme about the three careless kittens who lost their mittens is given added appeal with Galdone's bold and colorful illustrations. |
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Too Many Mittens  by Florence and Louis Slobodkin. (1958 - Ages 4-8)Set in snowy Michigan, this is a delightful children's story, especially appropriate for use with preschoolers during winter. In the story, Grandmother comes to care for twins while their parents are away on a trip. The entire town becomes involved when word gets out that a twin has lost a mitten. |
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Two Little Mittens  by Miriam Cohen. (1990 - Ages 4-8)Two little mittens are such good friends that when one is lost, the other is desperate to find its mate. A woolly hat suggests checking the "Lost and Found," and the friends are reunited. |
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Where's Your Mitten, Josh?  by Darice Bailer with Jason Wolff (illus). (2002 - Baby-Preschool)Josh wants to play in the snow with Penguin. But he only has one yellow mitten! Help Penguin find the right match. |
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Yoon and the Christmas Mitten  by Helen Recorvits with Gabi Swiatkowska (illus). (2006 - Ages 4-8)Yoon’s parents encouraged her to write her name in English instead of Korean. Now it’s Yoon’s turn to teach her parents about something she’s learned in America. When Yoon’s teacher lends her a book about Santa Claus, Yoon can’t wait to show it to her parents. |
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FUN PRODUCTS — MITTENS - CHILDREN
Product names are in blue and underlined. Click on them to get more information.
Short descriptions included for your convenience and to save you research time.
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American Girl Samantha's Blue Velvet Holiday Coat, Hat and mittens for 18" Dolls |
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Aurora - Plush - 8 Inch Lamb Chop with Pink Mittens  Lamb Chop has been entertaining children for more than 30 years and is one of the most recognizable puppets of all time. This 8 inch Lamb Chop is bean filled and super cuddly and she's wearing cute, sparkly pink mittens. |
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Baby Doll Hat and Mittens  Keep out the winter chill! Your My Twinn baby's head and hands will stay toasty with a fuzzy white hat and mittens. Hat features Velcro under-the-chin closure. |
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Columbia Sportswear Chippewa II Mitten for Toddlers  Columbia Sportswear Toddler Chippewa II Mitten: These Columbia Sportswear Toddler Chippewa II Mittens will keep your kids little paws warm and dry! |
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Glacier Mits - Shelled Mittens  Our durable Teflon®-coated waterproof breathable nylon expandable shelled mittens and booties with 16/17 oz. non-pill fleece linings, hook-and-loop closures, clips and "gripper" palms/soles are functional and warm. |
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Gloomy Bear Face Fleece Mittens  The Gloomy Bear fleece gloves are made of soft fluffy material with the face design on them and NO blood on the claws. Fits most sizes. |
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Mittens - L-Bow Solid Glove for Kids  The L-Bow Gloves feature a patented over-the-elbow design that is a great choice for gloves and mittens in the snow! Whether snowboarding, skiing or throwing snowballs, these stay on and keep the wrists warm and dry. |
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Mitten Cookie Cutter  Make holiday or everyday cookies extra special when cut into shapes. Decorate with royal icing, coloured sugars, and sprinkles. Or, use to cut out shapes from brownies, bar cookies, or sandwiches. |
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Mittens - 2-Pack Scratch  Luvable Friends baby scratch mittens are the perfect way to keep your baby's little hands covered and avoid scratching. All scratch mittens are 100% combed cotton and soft on baby's gentle skin. |
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No-scratch Baby Mitts 2-pair Pack  Super-soft, 100% cotton mitts designed to prevent infants from scratching their tender faces. |
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Pink and Yellow Winter Dolls Set with Hat, Scarf and Mittens ~ Hand Made in USA for American Girl Dolls  Pink and Yellow Winter Dolls Set with Hat, Scarf and Mittens. Hand Made in USA for American Girl Dolls. |
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Santa With Snowing Scene, 12", Music & Light Red Coat/Dark Mittens  12" Santa With Snowing Scene , Music & Light Red Coat/Dark Mittens |
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Thomas the Train Beanie & Gloves Set  Thomas the Train boys hat and gloves set! 100% Acrylic. Size: BOYS. age 4- 12 |
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Urban Boundaries Men's Ragwool Convertible Fingerless Glove/Mitten (Available in Sizes S/M or L/XL) |
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Wearabouts Cow Mittens by Gund  Keep the hands warm this winter with these super soft mittens. One size fits all. |
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Yo Gabba Gabba Brobee Pink Hat Mitten Set Toddler 2-4  Brand NEW Yo Gabba Gabba Brobee Pink Hat Mitten Set Toddler 2-4. |
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ONLINE LINKS TO STORIES AND INFORMATION ABOUT "THE MITTEN" and MITTENS
Online links andbook titles are blue and underlined. Click on them to get more stories and information.
Alphabetized for your convenience and to save you research time.
• http://www.janbrett.com/mitten_masks_main.htm
Animals from The Mitten from Jan Brett with printable masks.
• http://www.kididdles.com/
Best in Children's Music from The KiDiddles.
• http://www.janbrett.com/piggybacks/kitmit.htm
Kittens and Mittens from janbrett.com.
• http://atozteacherstuff.com/pages/235.shtml
Making Mittens with The Mitten Book from A to Z Teacher Stuff.
• http://www.shininghours.com/mittens/mitten_pattern.htm
Millennium Mittens pattern page.
• http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/the_mitten.html
"Mitten," The: Focus Story - Lesson plans with applications for math, art, literacy, music/movement and fine motor skills from Hubbard's Cupboard.
• http://www.enchantedlearning.com/stories/folktale/mitten/
Mitten, The : Printable book, Mitten and Animals Craft, The Mitten Comprehension Quiz and The Mitten (Fill-in-the-blank) Quiz and many other activities from Enchanted Learning (you need to subscribe).
• http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems33.html
Mitten songs and poems from Can Teach.
• http://www.teachingheart.net/mitten.html
Mitten, The -Theme/Unit for Your Classroom! using Jan Brett's book.
• http://tinyurl.com/byan8f
Mitten Knowledge by Michelle Edwards.
• http://www.albany.edu/cela/literacycorner/activities/Mittens.htm
Mitten Play Activity lesson plan from Albany Education.
• http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/mitten/mittenandanimals/
Mitten Story Craft from Enchanted Learning.
• http://www.fastq.com/~jbpratt/education/theme/mitten.html
Mitten Theme with Language Arts, Mitten Games, Mitten Books, The Mitten Story Bag. The Old Man's Mitten Story Bag, Books, Music and Mitten Links.
• http://sunshinedaydreamgardens.com/MITTENS/MITTENS_PAGE_001.htm
Mittens - Felted - for sale.
• http://tinyurl.com/cmakkg
Mittens - Folklore from Norway, Russia, Scotland, etc. - also poetry.
• http://catalog.worthingtonlibraries.org/accessible.ashx?q=keywords:%22Mittens%22
Mittens - List of stories from Worthington Libraries.
• http://www.sewing.org/
Sewing instructions for kids from sewing.org.
• http://tinyurl.com/ccjedu
Story Props for Retelling "The Mitten"...
• http://worksheets.teach-nology.com/misc/winter/songs/3/
Winter Songs by The Winter Pokey.
SOS - SEARCHING OUT STORIES ABOUT "THE MITTEN" and MITTENS
INPUT FROM STORYTELLERS, TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS
(excerpts from Storytell posts plus original research)
Book titles, movie titles and online links are in blue and underlined. Click on them to get more information.
Story and song titles are in quotation marks.
To retell any stories, obtain permission from the copyright holder if the material is not in the public domain.
Posts are added chronologically as they are received by Story Lovers World.
1) A version of "The Mitten" is on this web site:
http://www.katedudding.com/mitten.shtml
Here are the sources listed there:
The Mitten, by Alvin Tresselt, 1964;
The Mitten, by Jan Brett, 1989
Both are still in print. Brett's is beautifully illustrated, but Tresselt's version works better for reading aloud or telling with 4 to 8-year-olds. We have also done impromptu stagings in story theatre style with young children playing the animals. There is also a Ukranian version in print. I think it is titled Woodcutter's Mitten.
2) In most versions of "The Mitten," the mitten manages to hold huge animals, like a bear and a fox, but finally bursts when something tiny, like a cricket or a mouse, squeezes in.
Bones of one version:
A child loses a mitten in the woods, and a mouse crawls inside it to get warm. Another larger animal comes along (ask the audience for suggestions) and, over the mouse's objections, crawls into the mitten, which stretches to accommodate. Other large animals crawl in, over everyone's objections, and the mitten stretches and stretches. Then a tiny cricket crawls in and just that tiny addition burst the mitten open, everyone going flying in all directions. No one is hurt, but all decide to find homes elsewhere. And the child's grandmother knit a new mitten to replace the old, with the admonition to be more careful.
3) A variation on this story is "Who Lived In The Skull?"
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/oprt/oprt17.htm
Since Jan Brett's The Mitten is so popular in most schools, thought I'd try something different.
Bones of this version:
A horse (cow) skull is found in the woods. Little Mouse Creep Along finds it, and says, "What a fine house for me." She sets up housekeeping. Then along comes Frog Croaks A Lot. Set of questions are repeated as he asks who lives there, and then response when he asks if he can move in, is "If there's room for me, there's room for you. You can come in, too." The story had six characters ending with Bear Squash The Whole Lot. When I told it in a smaller group, I made up enough animals so that everyone had a role. Original names: Hare Hide In The Hill, Fox Run Everywhere, Wolf Leaps Out of the Bushes. Easy to make up more names such as Blue Jay Fly in The Sky, Squirrel Climb About, Duck Swim and Waddle, Raccoon Wash A Lot, etc. When I did it in a small group, I chose the smallest child to be Bear. That way I was sure she didn't really SQUASH anyone.
4) When I tell this story, I fold a piece of construction paper in half. I tape two sides of the construction paper so only the top is open. On one side of the envelope, I put the picture of a mitten. On the other side, I put the picture of a torn mitten. I put a small piece of the torn mitten thumb to use as the mouse's hat. I use cutouts of the animals and put them into the mitten as I tell the story. At the end of the story, I dump out the animals and put the mitten thumb on the mouse as a hat.
5) Interestingly, because the story I need to write is based on the "realistic" child characters in the textbook, I feel a certain constraint as to how "unrealistic" - e.g. with lots of large animals crowding into the mitten - to make the story. This is partly because these children have been presented "realistically" in the texts of the first two books, and I sense the need for continuity there. Another constraint is that the story will also be presented with feltboard figures.
Having mulled over the versions, I think I shall have just one animal - a mouse - going in and nibbling a hole in the end of one finger. The child finds the glove, but doesn't know why there is now a hole. ("But now you do!")
[Suggestion: But the child can remain realistic if the story is what he makes up to explain to his grandmother why when she sent him back to find his missing mitten, all he found were scraps of the red yarn and tracks of many different animals in the snow. When I tell it this way, I usually end by asking the children if they think his grandmother believed his story.]
6) When I tell this story, I have the child go look for his lost mitten. He can't find it. He sees animals running into the forest. He sees a little mouse with a hat that is just the same color as his lost mitten. (It is the thumb of the mitten.) He goes home and his grandmother knits him a new mitten. As the animals snuggle down into the mitten, I use their sounds and then as each succeeding animal comes to the mitten and asks to come in, I say, "and the bear said: and the children supply the sound and the wolf said: and the children supply the sound, etc.
7) In my Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian story collections The Mitten is said to be a "Ukranian folktale".
Margaret Read MacDonald writes in her book Parents' Guide to Storytelling
The story is definitely in the public domain - but some rhymes might not be! If one specific use of words can be tracked down to one certain author (or translator), then that person has got copyright for his/her use of words.
8) I found a printed version of The Mitten Story in a book called Ukrainian Folk Tales
9) While doing research on the Ukranian folktale The Magic Mitten, I came across this version on a Ukranian web site
http://www.4to40.com/folktales/index.asp?id=1167&folklores=magic%20mitten
Similar to the hunting version - but without the bang!
An old man was walking through a forest with his dog following him. And he lost his mitten. Along came a mouse and she climbed into the mitten. "Here I shall live," said the mouse. When along came a frog who asked: "Who, who lives in this mitten?" "Squeaky mouse, and who are you?" replied the mouse. "Croaky frog" replied the frog "Will you let me in?" "Come in." Now there were two of them, when along came a rabbit and asked: "Who, who lives in this mitten?" "Squeaky mouse and croaky frog, and who are you?" "I'm hoppity rabbit please let me in." "All right, come in." Now there were three, when along came a fox that asked: "Who, who lives in this mitten?" Squeaky mouse, croaky frog and hoppity rabbit, and who are you?" "I'm sister fox, let me in as well." Alright, come in." Now there were four, when along came a wolf, and headed right for the mitten: "Who, who lives in this mitten?" asked the wolf. "Squeaky mouse, croaky frog, hoppity rabbit and sister fox, and who are you?" "Brother wolf" replied the wolf "let me in too." "Oh alright, come in." And the wolf climbed right in and now they were five, when out of nowhere there came a wild boar: "Oink-grunt-grunt-oink! Who, who lives in this mitten?" "Squeaky mouse, croaky frog, hoppity rabbit, sister fox and brother wolf, and who are you?" "Oink-grunt-grunt-oink! I'm tusky boar, let me in as well." "What are we to do? Everyone who comes along wants to get into the mitten!" exclaimed the animals. "There is no room for you!" "I'll fit. Please let me in," said the boar. "What are we to do with you? Come in." And the boar climbed into the mitten. Now they were six, but so tightly packed in in that they could hardly move. When suddenly the underbrush crackled and there came a big brown bear that headed straight for the mitten: "Who, who lives in this mitten?" growled the bear. "Squeaky mouse, croaky frog, hoppity rabbit, sister fox, brother wolf and tusky boar, and who are you?" "Ha, ha, ha! There are so many of you in there. I'm troublesome bear, let me in too!" "How will you fit? The mitten is already bursting at the seams!" "Somehow we'll work it out." "Oh, alright, come in. But keep to the side." The bear climbed in. Now they were seven, but so tightly packed in that the mitten was about to burst. The old man realized that he had lost a mitten and headed back looking for the missing mitten, the dog running in front of the old man. The dog ran and ran, when ahead of him he saw the mitten. It was lying in the snow and moving. The dog barked: woof-woof-woof. The frightened animals all ran out of the mitten and scattered throughout the forest. The old man came and took his mitten.
10) Telling the noisy house story in an elementary school, I had a young man ask to be the monkey. I had noticed he had a "daily behavior report form" on his desk, and I had already decided he was going to have a good day to report on to his mom. (It's amazing what full eye-to-eye attention will do when a youngster is beginning to wander off into inappropriate behavior.) Of course, we had a monkey in the story, and the family liked him so much that when they put the other animals back in the barn, the monkey stayed in the house with them. I might just start having the monkey all the time...and I kind of like your elephant, too.
11) I have read this page with big pleasure. It is very interesting. I would like to add a few words to this story:
It began more 50 years ago.
There was a famous Ukrainian folktale – “The Mitten” which was illustrated by Russian artist Evgenii Rachev in 1951. Soon this book was published in English as “The magic glove” and then it was appeared its more known English version
The Mitten: An Old Ukranian Folktale. Alvin Tresselt (Translator), Yaroslava (Illustrator), E. Rachev (Author). Publisher: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co., Inc. (1964).
Here you can open the Rachev’s version of “The Mitten”
http://evgenii-rachev.narod.ru/english/books.html
Best regards,
Vladimir Turkov
vladimir.turkov(at)mail(dot)ru
6/16/11
Note from JB: This is a wonderful link above! It allows you to go through the book page by page and see the gorgeous illustrations as you read the book. Thanks so much to Vladimir for sending it!
This book is also available through amazon.com:
The Mitten published by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co., Inc. (1964)
Created 2005; last update 6/16/11
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