A young boy (or in some versions an old man) drops his mitten in the snow. A series of animals discover the warm mitten and each one climbs inside. The mitten stretches and stretches to accommodate animals which are diverse in size and temperament. In the Jan Brett version the animals include a snowshoe rabbit, a mole, a hedgehog, an owl, a badger, a fox, a giant brown bear and a tiny meadow mouse. In the version by Alvin Tresselt the mitten is taken over by a tiny mouse, a green frog, an owl, a rabbit, a fox, a wolf, a wild boar, a bear and finally a tiny cricket. One review called this a "progression tale." In the version by Alvin Tresselt, pictured above, the mitten disintegrates after the arrival of the final creature whereas in Jan Brett's version the boy finds the mitten and we see his grandmother standing puzzled as she compares its size against the original.
Recently my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything talked about The Mitten and the way she had several versions in her school library but there was one she especially liked. I assumed this was the Jan Brett (1989) version but she said no so this made me curious to read this old tale and to seek out different copies. When I checked her blog post I read she liked the one illustrated by Yaroslava because: "the language is better here as it is detailed and descriptive and the story fun."
On her website Jan Brett describes her version:
"When Nicki drops his white mitten in the snow, he goes on without realising that it is missing. One by one, woodland animals find the mitten 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 a wonderfully funny climax. As the story of the animals in the mitten unfolds, the reader can see Nicki in the borders of each page, walking through the woods unaware of what is going on. Once again Jan Brett has created a dramatic and beautiful picture book in her distinctive style. She brings the animals to life with warmth and humour, and her illustrations are full of visual delights and details faithful to the Ukrainian tradition, from which the story comes."
In this School Library Journal blog post Elizabeth Bird talks about The Mitten. I found a few other editions including one shaped like a mitten and a board book pack which included a mitten! Perhaps next Winter (it is Spring right now here in Australia) you might like to find a few different version of The Mitten to share with your class. You could compare the simple things such as the choices of animals, critique the illustrations or discuss the language used to tell this story. As my friend said the version by Alvin Tresselt is filled with rich language - the mitten has a feathery cuff; red wool lining; and is made from old leather. You could also compare opening sentences and endings. Jan Brett opens her version with the words "Once there was a boy named Nicki who wanted his new mittens made from wool as white as snow." Alvin Tresselt opens his version more directly with the words "It was the coldest day of the winter, and a little boy was trudging through the forest gathering firewood for his grandmother." And finally the version by Jim Alyesworth says "Once upon a time there was a happy little boy who loved to play."
No comments:
Post a Comment