Picture Book (3)

The Mitten is written and illustrated by Jan Brett.  

• Suggested Grade Level: Kindergarten to 4th Grade. The vocbulary and story is simple enough for a kindergartener to understand but other aspects of the book could be used to teach lessons for kids up to 4th grade.
• Summary: This beautifully illustrated book tells a Ukranian folktale about a little boy who wants two white mittens. His grandmother is convinced he will lose them but decides to knit them for him anyway. As the boy goes out to play, he loses one but one by one a group of animals make it their home to keep them warm. The story concludes with the boy finding the mitten on his way home and his grandmother wondering why one is so much bnigger than the other.  
• Classroom Skills & Strategies:
• Teach and introduce children to folktalkes from different cultures.
• Teach and label different kinds of animals.
• ESOL Strategies/Applications:
• The teacher can do a picture walk with the book before reading it emphasizing the iIllustrations. This will give the ESOL students a chance to internalize the plot and characters before actually reading the story.
• The student can interact with the Realia relating to the story or Ukranian culture before, after or during the story. (For example: white mittens, stuffed animals, knitting utensils, map showing the location of the Ukraine)
• Read Aloud: All
• Personal Opinion: I really enjoyed this book and think it would be great to use in the classroom. It involves another culture, is a traditional folktale, fun and can easily be used for lessons in varying grades or developmental levels.