The Mitten
Once upon a time, a little boy asked his Grandma to make him a pair of mittens to keep his hands warm in the snow.
"I will make you red mittens," said his Grandma.
"But, Grandma, I want white mittens!"
"No, no, no! If you drop a white mitten in the snow, you will never find it," said Grandma. "I will make you orange mittens."
"But, Grandma, I want white mittens."
"No, no, no! If you drop a white mitten in the snow, you will never find it," said Grandma. "I will make you pink mittens."
"But, Grandma, I want white mittens, PLEASE!" The boy was her Grandchild, and she loved him very much. So, when he said please, she made him a pair of snowy white mittens.
The boy put on the mittens and went outside to play in the snow. He made a snowman, a snow angel and snowballs to throw. As he played, he got warm and took off his mittens. He put them into his pocket. At least, he thought they went into his pocket. He did not know that one fell on the ground when he ran off to play somewhere else.
A small fuzzy animal found the mitten. It looked warm and comfortable. It put its nose inside the mitten. It put its ears inside. It put its whole head inside. It turned around and around. The mitten got bigger and bigger.
The mitten was warm and comfortable, and the animal was about to go to sleep when a rabbit came by. "Can I come in?" asked the rabbit.
The fuzzy animal almost said, "NO!" But it was cold, and you are always supposed to share. So, it said, "Okay, you can come in if you can fit."
The rabbit put his nose inside the mitten. He put his ears inside. He put his whole head inside. He turned around and around, and the mitten got bigger and bigger and bigger.
Soon, it was big enough for two animals. The mitten was warm and comfortable They were about to go to sleep when a fox came by. "Can I come in?" asked the fox.
They almost said, "NO!" But, it was cold, and you are always supposed to share. So they said, "Okay, you can come in if you can fit."
The fox put his nose inside the mitten. He put his ears inside. He put his whole head inside. He turned around and around, and the mitten got bigger and bigger and bigger and BIGGER.
It was big enough for not one - or two - but three animals. The mitten was warm and comfortable, and they were about to go to sleep when a BEAR came by. "Can I come in?" asked the bear.
They almost said, "NO!" But it was cold, and you are always supposed to share. And no one says no to a BEAR. "Okay," they said, "You can come in if you can fit."
"I can fit," said the bear in a deep voice. The bear put his nose inside the mitten. He put his ears inside. He put his whole head inside. He turned around and around, and the mitten got bigger and bigger and bigger and BIGGER and BIGGER.
lt was big enough for four animals. The mitten was warm and comfortable. They were about to go to sleep when a little mouse came by.
"Can I come in?" asked the mouse.
They almost said, "NO!" But, it was cold, and you are always supposed to share. So they said, "Okay, you can come in if you can fit."
"If I can fit, the mouse can fit," said the bear. The mouse put its nose inside the mitten. It put his ears inside. It put his whole head inside. It turned around and around inside the mitten. The mitten got bigger and bigger and bigger and BIGGER and BIGGER.
Then, "POW!" The mitten turned inside out and popped all the animals out. The bear landed in a cave where he went to sleep. The fox landed in a hole at the bottom of a tree and went to sleep. The rabbit landed in some grass and went to sleep. The fuzzy animal fell through the snow and landed in his own hole and went to sleep.
And the mouse? The mouse is still looking for a home. He might try to get into yours.
The mitten flew through the air and landed right at the feet of the little boy. He picked up the mitten and put it on his hand and ran home to show his Grandma that he could be trusted to wear white mittens and not lose them.
Grandma was so proud that he had hung onto both mittens instead of losing them, But, she could never figure out why one mitten was so much bigger than the other.
Teachers may freely tell this story in their classrooms. For use in paid performances or for recording of any kind, including books, CDs, and media of any kind of Dr. Lockett's version of the story, permission must be obtained from Mike Lockett. Write to mike@mikelockett.com
A wonderful book by Jan Brett is available through Scholastic. It is one of the best books for young readers that retells this beautiful folk tale.