One Mitten

by Kristine O'Connell George, Maggie Smith (Illustrator)

When a child discovers that she only has one mitten, her imagination is set into motion as she thinks of all the creative things that can be done with just one mitten, but when the second one is found, the young girl comes up with a whole new collection of creative ideas.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Childrens, Fiction, Number, Counting, Christmas

31 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

Kristine O'Connell George is one of the principal voices in contemporary children's poetry. Since her first highly-acclaimed book, The Great Frog Race was published in 1997, Kristine O'Connell George's poetry has generated excitement and earned honors and praise. Awards for her books include the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, International Reading Association / Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award, the Golden Kite, Myra Cohn Livingston Poetry Awards, Claudia Lewis Poetry Awards, ALA notables, NCTE notables, School Library Journal Best Books, Hornbook Fanfare, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award, and IRA-CBC Children's Choice.

Reviews

[Bethanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable book that I really enjoyed - I plan on using it for a winter themed toddler storytime. The story encourages the reader to use their imagination and turn everyday ordinary objects into extraordinary objects - or at least to have fun with them! The rhyme scheme is simple yet effective.

[Candace Worrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is good for a toddler story time as is, but I also modify it to use in baby story time. By leaving out a lot of the text and commenting on the pictures, I successfully use it with 2s and unders. It does have plenty of opportunities to wave, point to eyes, head, pat a pretend cat, say bye-bye, and so forth if you use a little creativity.

[Libby Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captures a moment in childhood beautifully. Who didn’t have to wander the whole house looking for a load mitten or glove before playing in the snow?

Whimsical and playful. A very fun seasonal read.

Recommended for 1-4 year olds.

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would definitely work for storytime but it didn't blow my mind or anything. May use as a backup book.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book about all the things you can do with a mitten when you only have one and then what you can do with two when you find the lost one!

[Kalynne]

Date: 12.01.23
Attendees 36
Theme: Winter clothes

Introduction and announcements: Shake my Silles Out by Raffi with Shaker Eggs

Book one: One Mitten by Kristine O'Connell George

Song/rhyme/game one: The Mittens on My Hands

Book two: Froggy Gets Dressed Jonathan London

Song/rhyme/game two: Dance, Freeze, Melt by Mr. Eric and Mr. Michael

Book three: Here Comes Jack Frost by Kazuno Koharo

Song/ rhyme/ game three: Hot Chocolate by Stephanie Leavell

Announcements: Christmas at the Library Next Saturday

Activity: Free Play

The mittens on my hands
Keep me warm
Keep me warm
Keep me warm
The mittens on my hands
Keep me warm
All winter long
(Switch out with coat, hat, scarf, pants, boots etc.)

[Katherinesmail1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Fiction
Grades: Preschool-1
This quick read-aloud will bring JOY to ANY winter preschool book collection! I like to display it after Christmas with all my other SNOW books. It makes an excellent addition to any winter or snow-themed unit. Children adore the illustrations. One Mitten is a sweet story that will leave teachers, parents, and kiddos smiling!

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl enjoys using one mitten and all she is able to do with one mitten. She finds her missing mitten and discover new activities to do with two mittens.

2018 storytime theme: mittens

Reviewed from a library copy.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aw... relatively simple, but for the right audience of preschoolers it could be both fun and meaningful. I liked that the text read like a poem, but without the forced rhymes in many badly written picture-books. My own reaction 3.5 stars.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eric loves that the mitten is under the kitty!

[Cathie (ClassyLibrarian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another perfect pic for a hats and mittens storytime theme. Great illustrations, easy story to follow. Kids loved it!

[Cecilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute! The main character and her actions feel very real. As does the place of her other mitten (SPOILER it's under the cat).

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhyming text, should be good for storytime.

[Suzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever book that encourages using your imagination

[Alisia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Day 12 Book Advent Calendar 2018

[Colorado Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute message about mittens, about winter, rhyming, not too many words, friendship, what you can do with mittens, could be pretty interactive.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

So simple, so stupid.

[Lok Yee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book

[Emily Carlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've loved reading this for winter story times for years. It invites some interactivity, discussion on what to wear during winter, and its short and sweet.

[Rachael Button · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used as a read aloud for toddle time for first grade. Great rhythm and rhyme.

[Stephanie Rossman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book about being creative with your mittens. A great read aloud for the winter.

[Valleri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a cute book for children to read especially during the winter months.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great to do with children. The storytime kids did some of the actions.

[Thequaminator · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read aloud book.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute read aloud for 3-4 year olds.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is really good and will be fun to read out loud

[Therese Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parker and I found this cute little story of what you can do with a single mitten for fun at one of our favorite places, the little red schoolhouse. We spent a lovely few minutes on their cozy rug, enjoying this cute winter tale.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Booklist (November 15, 2004 (Vol. 101, No. 6))

PreS-Gr. 1. Who knew a mitten could be so much fun? The sunny yellow mitten fits either hand, and the little girl who wears it makes shadow puppets. The mitten can be a hat for a wooden rooster or a bed for a tiny stuffed animal. It's also perfect for giving a sleepy cat a pat. But wait. What's the cat using as a pillow? The other mitten, of course. Now, the girl shows children all the things that can be done wearing two mittens. George's artwork mixes imagination with bounce. The two-page spreads offer an opportunity to extend the action, and George does this in a very effective way. For instance, the family dog, always in on the action, has room to roam across two pages. Ditto the girl's cute little brother, who appears on a spread divided into four strips. Good for story hours, this shows how much enjoyment can be derived from a very simple item.



Horn Book (Spring 2005)

A young girl can find only one of her mittens, but she cleverly invents plenty of uses for it. "One mitten is a hat / for a rooster's head, / or a very small / mitten-bag bed." When the lost mitten turns up, she finds "lots of / two-mitten things" to do as well. Cheerful illustrations with well-chosen details complement this sprightly rhyme.

[Widad Hussein]

One Mitten is a great poetry and picture book for little kids. I couldn't find the lexile level, but it is for primary grades, specifically for Kindergarten. Rather than there being a main character, for this book, there's a main thing which is the mitten. This is in a narrator point of view and it takes place in a home on a cold snowy day. The book is about the creative ways you can use a mitten and how to use your imagination. The author makes everything rhyme and showcases imaginative ways such as making shadows of animals, make mitten ears, give a cat a soft pat, and so much more. She ends the book with two little girls both wearing mittens and going outside to play.

The main idea is imagination. I would recommend this book because this fits in well for kids personalities at this age. They always have a creative mind and can come up with so many different things that a book like this would interest them. I really liked the book for two reasons: each use of mitten had a picture to go with it and it rhymed.

You can have fun with the simple things.