Review by Booklist Review
Ages 3-6. Using an inventive layout, Brett retells a Ukrainian folktale about a boy's lost mitten that provides refuge for a melange of forest animals. Double-page spreads feature large central illustrations framed by birch-bark panels. A mitten-shaped window appears on each side of the spread, the one on the left showing the boy's search for his mitten, the one on the right anticipating the action of the following spread. For instance, in the illustration showing a mole approaching the mitten, the borders depict the boy leaping over a snow-covered log and startling a rabbit who then runs from its shelter and, on the next page, finds the mitten. In this way, Brett cleverly foreshadows the upcoming events, which children will quickly catch onto. While some may find the page design overly elaborate, the artwork is nevertheless delightful. The cool, bluish whites of the snowy scenes contrast freshly with the richly colored patterns and details of the Ukrainian clothes. Brett depicts the animals with naturalistic detail, yet conveys their feelings and personalities with subtlety, clarity, and humor. While Alvin Tresselt's The Mitten [BKL N 1 64] is still in print and a staple of winter-story programs, libraries will want to offer this splendid version as well. --Carolyn Phelan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Baba, Nicki's grandmother, knits pure white mittens for him, even though she is afraid that he will lose them in the snow. Sure enough, the first time Nicki is out, he drops one and some animals promptly move into its snug wool interior. First comes a mole, then a rabbit, a hedgehog, an owl, a badger, a fox, a bear and, finally, a mouse. That mouse tickles the bear's nose and he sneezes, dislodging all of the animals at once. Nicki finds his mitten, and takes it home, but Baba is left to wonder about how it became so enormously stretched out. Brett's magnificent paintings feature her usual array of folk details, and this time, intricate knitting tracks, ornate embroidery, the crusty, peeling texture of the birch bark borders and the exquisite patterns found in Baba's homey rooms. Readers will sit back, suspend belief and welcome this tall tale from the Ukrainian tradition. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-By Jan Brett. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Brett's classic adaption of a folktale (in which a mitten lost in the snow expands to provide shelter for a number of cold woodland creatures) has been incongruously issued in a board-book version. Fans of the illustrator should stick to the original picture book to get the full impact of Brett's decorative, narrative-filled borders, which are downsized here. From HORN BOOK 1996, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In comparison to Tresselt's lively rendition, a diffuse, wordy retelling of this favorite tale, with the boy getting his much-stretched mitten back. On the other hand, Brett's decorative, bordered, intricately detailed illustrations are sure to appeal. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
