Submitted by: Jill González, Director of Programs
Brrr! It’s cold today, a perfect day to cuddle up and enjoy the classic story, The Mitten. Jan Brett, author and illustrator of The Mitten retells a classic story with amazingly detailed illustrations. Growing up in the north, I was well acquainted with mittens and sweaters. One of the reasons I love this story is because I know how stretchy homemade mittens and sweaters are. I have a sweater that was hand-knit by my Grandma. It is a regular sized child’s sweater, but the arms have been stretched out to twice their natural length because I used to pull them down over my hands and use them to keep warm.
Jan Brett’s illustrations give life to the story. As the mitten stretches and expands to fit each animal, you can sense the tension of the yarn. The expressions on the faces of the animals as they squeeze help us imagine how cramped it got inside. A detail that I have always enjoyed about her illustrations are the panels on each side of the main page. They help a young reader predict what will happen next.
Make some hot cocoa and cuddle up with The Mitten today. After you have read it, you can go to Jan Brett’s web page for bookmarks, coloring pages and games for each of her books. Have fun!
