Why This Book?
Jan Brett’s classic folktale tells how animals squeeze into a lost mitten. In dual language, it introduces winter animal names and sequencing concepts.
When Nicki drops his white mitten in the snow, he goes on without realizing that it is missing.
One by one, woodland animals find it and crawl in; first, a curious mole, then a rabbit, a badger and others, each one larger than the last. Finally, a big brown bear is followed in by a tiny brown mouse and what happens next makes for a wonderfully funny climax.
As the story of the animals in the mitten unfolds, the reader can see Nicki's snowy outing in the borders of each page.
In her distinctive style, Jan Brett brings the animals to life with warmth and humor, and her illustrations are full of visual delights and details faithful to the Ukrainian tradition from which the story comes.
- Builds vocabulary: mitten, animals, cozy, cold.
- Encourages prediction and retelling.
- Connects to seasonal clothing and warmth.
Montessori Connections
- Practical Life & Sensorial: Matching real mittens; practicing zipping and buttoning.
- Language: 3-part cards for animals and clothing in English/Spanish.
- Math & Order: Sequence the animals as they enter the mitten.
- Art & Expression: Children create mitten collages with animals labeled bilingually.
Music & Movement
Act out animals crawling into a giant fabric mitten prop while naming them in English/Spanish.
Family Connections
Invite families to retell the story with stuffed animals at home, naming them bilingually.
Montessori Big Idea
Supports sequencing and classification, while also reinforcing care for self through clothing.
Try This at Home
Have your child pair mittens and label them “izquierda/left” and “derecha/right.”
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