ANNOTATION

Several animals sleep snugly in Nicki's lost mitten until the bear sneezes.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Brett creates a dramatic picture book with the story of Nicki, a young boy who has lost a mitten in the snow and the animals who try to make a home of it. "The illustrations and the book design . . . are exquisite . . . a charming lap book to be poured over again and again."--School Library Journal. Full-color illustrations.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

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.)

Children's Literature - Debra Briatico

When a young boy loses his new white mitten in the forest, a group of animals decide to climb inside the mitten for warmth. A mole, rabbit, hedgehog, owl, badger, fox, and bear manage to squeeze inside the well-constructed mitten, which safely surrounds them until a meadow mouse causes the bear to sneeze. After the mitten blows sky-high and the inhabitants are scattered, the young boy catches the air-born mitten and returns home. Brett uses clever border illustrations to alert the reader to the whereabouts of the mitten's owner and upcoming events.