You may know the earlier version of the same basic story by Alvin Tresselt, The Mitten (Lothrop, 1964 ISBN 0-688-51053-1 Library Binding). Jan Brett has put her own spin on the familiar folk theme of a shelter which stretches to accommodate each new occupant. This time it's a boy, Nicki, who begs his grandmother, Baba, to knit him a pair of white mittens. In spite of her warnings that he will lose them and that they will be hard to find in the snow, he insists and she finally does so.
Grandmothers, however, are usually right and it isn't long before we notice, although he does not, that he has dropped a mitten. A mole is the first to discover the mitten lying on the snow and crawls inside, followed by a snowshoe rabbit, a hedgehog, an owl, a badger, a fox, a bear and, finally a mouse.
Each time the inhabitants protest that there's not enough room for the newcomer, but to no avail and grandmother's skillful knitting holds fast as the mitten stretches beyond belief. Just at the point where Nicki approaches, searching for his lost mitten, the mouse causes the bear to sneeze; the mitten and all its occupants go flying; the boy catches sight of the airborne mitten and retrieves it. It's grandmother who, knowing nothing of what happens, notices the now-stretched out mitten. The yarn Brett uses for her mitten makes the tale almost believable.
Brett uses the page frames to allow her to show two scenes at once. Her mitten frames within a frame continue to remind us that the mitten is the important item here. At first we see Baba spinning and rolling the yarn while the main illustrations show Nicki, mittenless, playing in the snow. When the two figures join on the second page main picture and Baba begins knitting the white mittens, the scene in the frame switches to the outdoors. As the boy's play disturbs the animal in his natural habitat, the creature is forced to move and that's when it invades the mitten.
Things to Notice and Talk About
Notice the details: the plates over the fireplace, Nicki and Baba's clothing, Nicki's boots, the thatched roof with the crossed sticks to hold it in place, the birds' nest near the chimney. Why did Brett put the eye-catching embroidery in each frame? Is it merely decorative or does it pull your eye to something important. Look at the background of each frame. Isn't that birch bark? Why?
Activities
Identify the point at which the tale and the mitten have stretched beyond credulity. Find out the sizes of each of these animals and get into some math activities by estimating how big the mitten would have to have grown. Notice the parts of the book which are very realistic. She has shown or told about the animals who live in that area, their specific natural habitat, their appearance and their defense mechanisms.
Look at the language, especially the verbs, that Brett uses in her story. The animals swoop, lumber, trot, snuffle, bump and jostle. Use the thesaurus for other words that mean the same thing. Change the words. Do you like your choices better?
Stay with the language a bit. Nicki calls his grandmother, Baba, the Urkrainian word for grandmother. What would he call her if the story was set in Spain, Zambia, Italy, Holland and Germany? What do you call yours?
You must admit Baba's quite a knitter. Get someone of almost equal skill to show the kids how she/he does it. Maybe they can learn how to knit a square for a classroom afghan.
The theme of the book is the straw that broke the camel's back. What's the origin of that expression?
You'll want to compare this version with Tresselt's, of course. His fur-lined mitten appears to be made of skins rather than yarn and his illustrations are very different in style and palette. The creatures who take up residence in the mitten are different as are less obvious details. The boy in Brett's version is playing while Tresselt's boy is engaged in more serious enterprise. Tresselt's mitten bursts apart while Brett's keeps stretching.
The tale of a shelter which stretches is also the theme of Mirra Ginsburg's Mushroom in the Rain (Macmillan, 1988 ISBN 0-02-736241-8 0-68-971441-6. Paperback) and Robert Bright's My Red Umbrella (Morrow, 1985 ISBN 0-688-05249-5.). Charts which show likenesses and differences among these and other tales with similar plots would help kids organize their thinking.
Mittens are also the clothing of choice in such books as Steven Kellogg's The Mystery of the Missing Red Mitten (Dial, 1974 ISBN 0-8037-6195-3 0-1405-4671-5. Paperback) and Jean Rogers' Runaway Mittens (Greenwillow, 1988 ISBN 068807054X. Library Binding).
Related Areas on the Internet
Note: If you follow one of these links you will be leaving Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site and will need to use your BACK button to return to our site.
Jan Brett's Page (http://www.janbrett.com) - site of the author. Includes her latest projects, appearances and activities. Many great materials for the classroom including an email address for Jan Brett. Don't miss this!
Jan Brett (http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/brett.htm) - overview of Jan Brett and her work, with links to related pages.
Copyright 1996-2008, Rebecca Otis.
This document is from Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site at http://www.carolhurst.com.
Contact Information: Rebecca Otis Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site
52 Brookwood Dr. Florence, MA 01062 email: rebecca@carolhurst.com (413) 584-3153
