What can you do with just one mitten? Use your imagination! This bright, playful book celebrates a child's joyful discoveries of the many things she can do with a single mitten.
Once again, the creators of Book! show that even the simplest things can be a springboard to creativity and reveal the fun that's hidden in ordinary things.
The idea for One Mitten arrived one New Year’s Day while I was shivering on a street corner, watching the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. Even though this was “sunny California,” it was really cold, and we were bundled up in coats and hats.
While I was ooohing and aaahing over the floats, I noticed a toddler holding a mitten someone had dropped. To this Southern California kid, the mitten was clearly a puzzling novelty: What was it? What did it do? That's when I started thinking of all the things one could do with a single mitten. When I got home, I wrote the first (of many!) drafts for ONE MITTEN.
Maggie Smith and I hope you enjoy ONE MITTEN. We invite readers of all ages to think of their own unique uses for a single mitten!
One Mitten in the Classroom
Download The One Mitten Imagination Challenge Students from across the country read ONE MITTEN, then shared what they would do with only ONE mitten.
Reproducible mitten template.
Mitten-y Web Resources
I was delighted to discover these amazing and creative resources on the web for mitten-themed curriculum. Check out these sites for ideas for math, science, art activities and more!
Magical Mittens at the The Virtual Vine
Mitten Theme at Step by Step Childcare
The Teaching Heart by Colleen Gallagher
Marvelous Mittens from Mrs. Kilburn's Kiddos
In ONE MITTEN, the little girl makes "shadow shapes" of a "mitten whale / and a slow, slow mitten snail." Here are links to creating hand shadows:
Shadow Animals from PBS Zoom
Mitten songs, fingerplays, etc.
"Kittens and Mittens" web game
"Who knew a mitten could be so much fun? ... Good for story hours, this shows how much enjoyment can be derived from a very simple item." Booklist
"Using playful and engaging rhymes, a girl shows readers the many different things that she can do with one mitten...Done in acrylic gouache, Smith's distinctive illustrations are filled with warm colors and eye-catching patterns. Pair this tale with Jan Brett's The Mitten (Putnam, 1989), Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day (Viking, 1962), and Janet Stoeke's A Hat for Minerva Louise (Dutton, 1994) for storytime or laptime winter fun. School Library Journal
"A charming ode to imagination." Newsday
Sesame Street "Big Bird" Bookmark
"George's award-winning genius with poetry underlines this spare text that explores the creative possibilities of what can be done with just one mitten." The Yellow Brick Road
"[A] bright book that is sure to spark imaginations." Boston Herald
""One Mitten" [explores] the sunny side of coming up one mitten short...a thoroughly enjoyable read." The Capital Times