The Mitten Book
THE MITTEN
Once upon a time there was a boy name Nicki who wanted his new mittens made from wool as white as snow.
At first, his grandmother, Baba, did not want to knit white mittens. “If you drop one in the snow,” she warned, “you’ll never find it.” But Nicki wanted snow- white mittens, and finally Baba made them. After she finished she said, “When you come home, first I will look to see if you are safe and sound, but then I will look to see if you still have your snow – white mittens”.
Nicki put them on and went outside to play. But it was not long until one of his new mittens was dropped in the snow and left behind. A mole, tired from tunneling, discovered the mitten and decided to move in. It was warm and cozy and just the right size. A rabbit was hopping by.
He saw the mitten and decided to move in. The mole didn’t think there was room for both of them, but when he saw the rabbit’s big kickers he moved over. Next a hedgehog came snuffling by. Having spent all day looking under wet leaves for things to eat, he decided to move in and warm himself. The mole and the rabbit thought there is no room for the third one, but who would argue with someone covered with prickles.
As soon as the hedgehog disappeared into the mitten, a big owl, attracted by the commotion, swooped down. The animals thought there is no more room, but when they saw his big talons, they quickly let him in. Up through the snow appeared a badger. He saw the mitten and began to climb in. The mole, the rabbit, the hedgehog, and the owl were not pleased. But when they saw his diggers, they moved over. Soon the fox was trotting by.
She saw the mitten and stopped to investigate. She poked her muzzle in. When the mole, the rabbit, the hedgehog, the owl, and the badger saw her shiny teeth, they gave the fox lots of room. A big brown bear lumbered by. He saw the mitten and not being one to be left out in the cold, he began to nose his way in.
The animals were packed in as tightly as could be. But who would argue with a bear? The mitten swelled and stretched to many times its size but Baba’s good knitting held it fast. Along came a meadow mouse, no bigger than an acorn. She wriggled into the one space left, on top of big brown bear’s nose.
Her whiskers tickled the bear’s nose and he gave an enormous sneeze. Aaaaaaa –aaaaa-aaaaa- chew! The force of the sneeze shot the mitten up into the sky, and scattered the animals in all directions. On his way home, Nicki saw a white silhouette fly up in to the sky. It was his mitten. He ran to catch it. And then he saw Baba’s face in the window. First she looked to see if he was safe and sound, and then she saw that he still had his new mittens.