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The Mitten (2009)

by Jim Aylesworth(Favorite Author)

3.96 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0439925444 (ISBN13: 9780439925440)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Scholastic Press

review 1: Booklist starred (November 1, 2009 (Vol. 106, No. 5))Preschool-Grade 2. Twenty years after the publication of Jan Brett’s now-classic version of The Mitten (1989) comes this similarly charming retelling of the Ukrainian folktale from two veteran collaborators. As in such titles as The Tale of Tricky Fox (2001) and Goldilocks and the Three Bears (2003), Aylesworth and McClintock’s styles marry well here, creating a perfectly paced read-aloud with an old-fashioned feel. While playing in the snow, a young boy loses a mitten made by his grandmother. At home, his grandmother consoles him with cocoa and a promise to look for the missing mitten in the morning. Overnight, a lineup of woodland creatures finds the warm, woolen treasure and burrows in, stretching the knit until e... moreven a giant bear fits inside. It’s the addition of a tiny mouse, though, that eventually causes the seams to burst, leaving only a pile of yarn pieces for the boy and his grandmother to discover. In lines filled with repetition and rhythm, Aylesworth expertly builds the humor and suspense, while McClintock’s artwork, inspired by both 1960s comics and nineteenth-century illustration, capture the story’s absurdity in action-filled images of the animals, each an expressive character, struggling to squeeze into the ever-expanding mitten, right up to its final explosion. A satisfying blend of cozy comforts and slapstick farce, this will be a top choice for winter story hours.Horn Book (November/December, 2009)It might seem that between Alvin Tresselt's The Mitten (with Yaroslava's stylish sixties illustrations) and Jan Brett's very popular, lush version there would be no room for another take on the old Ukrainian story. Aylesworth's polished story together with McClintock's energetic pictures prove that The Mitten can hold one more. Aylesworth's text shows its storytelling roots with its perfect pacing, precisely chosen details, and most of all its participatory repetition: "My toes are cold as ice! / Your mitten looks so cozy, / and warm toes would feel so nice!" McClintock chooses to make her mitten red, giving a splash of color to each picture. As each animal -- squirrel, rabbit, fox, and bear -- squeezes itself in, the storyboard sequence of pictures makes the implausible (a bear in a mitten?) look almost possible, albeit requiring tremendous effort, and the explosion of the mitten when the little mouse squashes in is spectacular. Adults may go for the prettiness of Brett's version, but children will love the great humor of this one, especially McClintock's Paul Galdone-like animals and their expressions. Horn Book starred (March, 2010)In this take on the Ukrainian folktale, Aylesworth's polished text shows its storytelling roots with perfect pacing, precisely chosen details, and participatory repetition. In McClintock's energetic pictures, the mitten is red, giving a splash of color to each illustration as the animals squeeze themselves in; the explosion of the mitten after the little mouse enters is spectacular.Kirkus Reviews (September 15, 2009)A little boy goes out to play in the snow with the mittens his grandmother knitted him, but comes back with only one. They'll look for it later, she says, and comforts him with hot cocoa. Meanwhile a squirrel discovers the mitten and curls up in it for a warm nap. Then a rabbit, a fox and a bear each come along, and after much pleading they are let in. Finally, a tiny mouse manages to talk his way in, with a mitten-destroying result. Aylesworth brings a folksy voice to the story, and McClintock's detailed black-lined illustrations set on snowy white backgrouds add to the vintage sensibility. She invests her animals with enormous personality and the scene with an absurd humor with the use of sequential vignettes, making it both visually and tonally quite different from Jan Brett's 1992 version. What really shines is the temptation offered to little imaginations: What happens to all those lost mittens when you're not there? Certainly fun to think about while drinking hot cocoa on a snowy day--recipe included. Fresh. (Picture book. 3-6)Library Media Connection (November/December 2009)A young boy wears the hat, mittens, and scarf made by his loving grandmother.ÿAs he plays in the snow, he loses one of the warm mittens.ÿThe mitten is found by a variety of forest animals who want to warm their toes in the cozy mitten.ÿEach animal stretches the mitten until the field mouse stretches it so much that it bursts into a pile of yarn pieces. After they find the pile of yarn, Grandma knits the young boy a new mitten.ÿThis is a beautifully drawn title that would be a good contrast for other versions of the story, although this version of the popular folktale makes no mention of its Russian roots. Additional Selection.ÿTerry Day, Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Missouri, St. LouisPublishers Weekly (October 19, 2009)Aylesworth and McClintock's (Our Abe Lincoln) retold folktale about a lost mitten opens sweetly, with a playful boy wearing the tomato-red hat, scarf and mittens his grandmother has knit for him. After a carefree sled ride, he returns home, gazing disconsolately at his mittenless hand. He gets a comforting hug and hot chocolate while, outside, a delighted squirrel crawls into the mitten. Soon a rabbit asks to share the warmth: " 'Please!' begged the rabbit./ 'My toes are cold as ice!/ Your mitten looks so cozy,/ and warm toes would feel so nice!' " The tale grows sillier as a fox, then a bear, repeat the rabbit's rhyme to humorous effect and persuade the mitten's occupants to let them in the tight space, massively distending the mitten (they soon discover its limits-with explosive results). McClintock adapts her 19th century-style pen-and-ink imagery to the slapstick, emphasizing the animals' gestures and facial features in a Currier & Ives winter wonderland. The lifelike animals recall Joel Chandler Harris's folktales, and the naturalism-which is an unlikely but inspired vehicle for comedy-is full of surprises. Ages 3-6. (Oct.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.School Library Journal (December 1, 2009)PreS-Gr 3-This is a delightful adaptation of the Ukrainian folktale in which a dropped mitten becomes a haven of warmth and protection for an increasing number of woodland animals until it finally bursts (or, in one story, stretches out and is carried off by the wind). From the very first sentences-"Once upon a time there was a happy little boy who loved to play. Yes, he did."-the narrative draws readers into the story and begs to be read aloud. The text contains both repetitive phrases and a memorable refrain-"'Please!' begged the fox./My toes are cold as ice!/Your mitten looks so cozy,/and warm toes would feel so nice!" The gouache and watercolor illustrations with ink outlining and detail include single pages and spreads alternating with pages that contain several small vignettes, each accompanied by a bit of text. McClintock attributes the style of her artwork to 19th-century French and British illustrators J. J. Grandville and Charles H. Bennett, and to the 1960s cartoon Top Cat. Her sweet-faced animals exhibit human personality traits in both conversation and facial expressions. Alvin Tresselt's well-loved version of the tale (HarperCollins, 1964), illustrated in black line drawings accented in five colors, and Jan Brett's popular retelling (Putnam, 1989), accompanied by paintings in her own distinctive bordered style, are both filled with patterns and details in clothing and settings that characterize the tale's ethnic origin. Aylesworth's tale belongs in every collection, as well.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
review 2: I chose The Mitten, a folktale which was retold by Jim Aylesworth, for my folklore story. It received a silver Parent's Choice Award, and is listed as a Hornbook Fanfare Book for 2009. I believe this version of the text really engages the students and is written and illustrated to a level of their understanding. The story is about a little boy who loves to play and one day while playing he loses one of his mittens. A squirrel is the first to find the mitten and uses it to keep warm. Several other animals squeeze into the mitten until it can take no more and bursts. The book would be a great read-aloud book for grades kindergarten – second. It is a great representation of a cumulative tale because of the repetition the author uses for each animal. The repetitive text and loud sounds create an entertaining story plot that will keep the student’s attention. The illustrations also bring out the playful tone of author and help tell the story. Students can describe animals as they review nouns and verbs associated with these animals. They will learn to use adjectives as they describe the animals. This story is a great way to expand the imaginations of the children and create stories about their own playtime adventures and stories about animals. less

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