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Steven Kellogg’s Color Mysteries #1.5
The Missing Mitten Mystery
Annie and her dog, Oscar, have had a busy day playing in the snow. Somehow Annie's red mitten has disappeared in all the fun. They look high and low. . . . It's not on the sledding hill, and it's not by the snow castles. Maybe an eagle carried it off to keep its baby's head warm. Or maybe a mouse is using it as a sleeping bag. When the sun goes down, Annie and Oscar have to give up their search and go inside. But when Annie looks out the window, something red catches her eye. . . .
With entirely new full-color illustrations, this beautiful version of the beloved picture book The Mystery of the Missing Red Mitten retains all the charm of the original.
With entirely new full-color illustrations, this beautiful version of the beloved picture book The Mystery of the Missing Red Mitten retains all the charm of the original.
40 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
9 people are currently reading
460 people want to read
About the author
Steven Kellogg
168 books176 followersSteven Kellogg is an author and illustrator who has contributed over 90 books for children. He is best known for writing books about animals, for which he credits his grandmother .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
October 7, 2019
The Missing Mitten Mystery is basically and simply a sweet little tale of a young girl and her dog trying to find her one missing mitten (mostly by retracing her steps to where she had previously been playing with her friends, but also having her muse that perhaps her mitten might equally have been absconded with by a bird or a mouse). And while there is in my opinion nothing in any manner spectacular or outrageous with regard to either Steven Kellogg's narrative or his accompanying illustrations, I certainly have found The Missing Mitten Mystery both narrationally and illustrativel fun, engaging and yes also full of what often makes winter such a delightful season especially for children (with sledding, building snow castles, making snow angels, and indeed, I certainly did not expect the missing mitten to be found where it ended up being found, and it has definitely made me smile).
Now personally, I do rather think that the scenario of the little girl imagining planting and growing mittens en masse feels a bit gratuitous and tacked on (read a trifle unnecessary). However, I guess that it does kind of give Steven Kellogg the opportunity to present and feature some visually sweet and colourfully descriptive "four seasonal" illustrations, although yes, I do find the whole planting mittens episode rather forced in scope and that it does not really have all that much to do with the actual storyline of The Missing Mitten Mystery, namely with searching for and finding the little girl's lost mitten (and that it furthermore kind of makes the subsequent discovery of the mitten, at least in my opinion, seem a bit of a let-down and not all that exciting and special in and of itself anymore). Still The Missing Mitten Mystery is most certainly a delightful combination of text and images (with Steven Kellogg's bright and lively pictures also mirroring his narrative, the little girl's search for her mitten, and that it is finally found in an unexpected but as such and for the winter season really perfect place).
Now personally, I do rather think that the scenario of the little girl imagining planting and growing mittens en masse feels a bit gratuitous and tacked on (read a trifle unnecessary). However, I guess that it does kind of give Steven Kellogg the opportunity to present and feature some visually sweet and colourfully descriptive "four seasonal" illustrations, although yes, I do find the whole planting mittens episode rather forced in scope and that it does not really have all that much to do with the actual storyline of The Missing Mitten Mystery, namely with searching for and finding the little girl's lost mitten (and that it furthermore kind of makes the subsequent discovery of the mitten, at least in my opinion, seem a bit of a let-down and not all that exciting and special in and of itself anymore). Still The Missing Mitten Mystery is most certainly a delightful combination of text and images (with Steven Kellogg's bright and lively pictures also mirroring his narrative, the little girl's search for her mitten, and that it is finally found in an unexpected but as such and for the winter season really perfect place).
October 5, 2019
I loved this! It just glows with warmth, joy and good spirit. I love how we are just plopped right into the middle of the action, the story opens with the little girl declaring to her puppy, "Oscar, I lost my other mitten." The footprints behind her through the snow tells us there must have been an adventure that day, and I love how she backtracks through the snowy-now to the places she played that day, remembering what she did and imagining the fate of her mitten. It's so very child-like and joyous and the sunset scenes with the snow truly glow and are beautiful. I love the illustration when she imagines an eagle took her mitten to keep the baby eagle's head warm -- I've never before seen an eagle look that loving and maternal ;-) I think my favorite is her imagining the mitten growing a mitten-tree and then giving all the mittens as gifts. I love including the elderly neighbor and, while perhaps the answer of what happened to the missing mitten might be deemed by some to be a bit saccharine, I thought it was perfect.
February 28, 2026
A girl loses her fifth mitten of the winter and, accompanied by a cute dog, backtracks her day's activities in hopes of finding it. And what a day it was, with snow forts, snowball fights, snow angels and snowmen. Additionally, she repeatedly imagines fanciful ways her mitten might be used by various forest animals if they found it.
The ending is a bit schmaltzy, but works.
My daughter and I both enjoyed this when she was five.
FOR REFERENCE:
This retelling of the author's own The Mystery of the Missing Red Mitten is substantially different with additional pages, all-new illustrations, and significantly revamped text.
The ending is a bit schmaltzy, but works.
My daughter and I both enjoyed this when she was five.
FOR REFERENCE:
This retelling of the author's own The Mystery of the Missing Red Mitten is substantially different with additional pages, all-new illustrations, and significantly revamped text.
December 7, 2019
Such a cute one! Loved the mitten tree!
November 19, 2016
The Missing Mitten Mystery by award-winning writer and illustrator Steven Kellogg is a fun and imaginative story that revolves around a mystery. I recommend this book as a winter read aloud for students in preschool to third grade.
The story begins when Annie lost her mitten while playing in the snow with friends and her dog Oscar. She thinks she is in "big trouble” so, Annie sets off with Oscar retracing every place they had played that day so that with any luck she can find her mitten. While looking, she begins to imagine what could have happened to her mitten. She thinks a red bird took it to use as a “snuggly nest." She imagines an eagle flying away with it, or a mouse making it into a sleeping bag to keep warm during the winter months. Lastly, she thinks that it hopped away because it was tired of being a mitten. Did Annie find it? You will have to read the book to know what happened to Annie's mitten!
This is a great read-aloud picture book for making connections between the story and students’ life experience. A teacher can ask student’s questions like, “Have you ever lost something?” “Did you feel the same way as Annie?” “How did you find it?” After discussing their experiences, students can draw pictures illustrating what they lost and how they found the missing item. Also, like Annie, students can think about other imaginative ways the mitten can be used.
There are a lot of activities online for teachers to create fun lessons with this book.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1618549...
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/P...
Kellogg is known for combining beautiful illustrations with his writing to create fun stories that everyone can enjoy. He wrote the series Pinkerton the Great Dane, and American folklore stories like Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, and Johnny Appleseed. If you want to learn more about Steven Kellogg you can watch a video interview at http://www.readingrockets.org/books/i....
The story begins when Annie lost her mitten while playing in the snow with friends and her dog Oscar. She thinks she is in "big trouble” so, Annie sets off with Oscar retracing every place they had played that day so that with any luck she can find her mitten. While looking, she begins to imagine what could have happened to her mitten. She thinks a red bird took it to use as a “snuggly nest." She imagines an eagle flying away with it, or a mouse making it into a sleeping bag to keep warm during the winter months. Lastly, she thinks that it hopped away because it was tired of being a mitten. Did Annie find it? You will have to read the book to know what happened to Annie's mitten!
This is a great read-aloud picture book for making connections between the story and students’ life experience. A teacher can ask student’s questions like, “Have you ever lost something?” “Did you feel the same way as Annie?” “How did you find it?” After discussing their experiences, students can draw pictures illustrating what they lost and how they found the missing item. Also, like Annie, students can think about other imaginative ways the mitten can be used.
There are a lot of activities online for teachers to create fun lessons with this book.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1618549...
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/P...
Kellogg is known for combining beautiful illustrations with his writing to create fun stories that everyone can enjoy. He wrote the series Pinkerton the Great Dane, and American folklore stories like Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, and Johnny Appleseed. If you want to learn more about Steven Kellogg you can watch a video interview at http://www.readingrockets.org/books/i....
November 9, 2015
MYSTERY...The Missing Mitten Mystery is an adorable little story geared towards the early elementary ages. The main character in the story searches high and low for his lost mitten. He retraces his steps in hopes of finding it but only discovers other objects (and memories) there. Along the way, he uses his imagination as to where it can be or what might have happened to it. I found it to be so innocent that he wanted to plant a glove to grow another so he can make a pair and then he would give those gloves for presents during the holidays. The innocent minds and vivid imaginations of children truly are heartwarming.
In a future classroom I would use this book to introduce the mystery genre. Within the text, examples of looking for something are definitely evident and with this text level, Kindergarteners would be able to comprehend what a mystery is. I think it would be cute to accompany this lesson with an active game of “find the matching mittens”, adding numbers and corresponding object to mittens in an art project, and even participating in a live mystery within the classroom. Everyone can be a detective!
In a future classroom I would use this book to introduce the mystery genre. Within the text, examples of looking for something are definitely evident and with this text level, Kindergarteners would be able to comprehend what a mystery is. I think it would be cute to accompany this lesson with an active game of “find the matching mittens”, adding numbers and corresponding object to mittens in an art project, and even participating in a live mystery within the classroom. Everyone can be a detective!
November 10, 2009
Annie looses another mitten, making it five lost mittens this year. Annie goes on a search to find her mitten. She has a good imagination of the places her mitten could be.
This was a cute winter book.
This was a cute winter book.
March 29, 2016
Fun book to read with primary grades to introduce clue writing. I read this with a group of 1st and 3rd graders, we hid mittens, wrote clues, buddied up, and found mittens by reading their descriptive writing clues. Fun!
January 30, 2009
I'm a big fan of Steven Kellogg so it's no surprise that I like this book. I love the mitten tree and where she finds her mitten at the end.
May 13, 2010
This is so great - I love how she finds her mitten in the end!!
June 1, 2008
CIP: Annie loses her 5th mitten of the winter and she searches the whole neighborhood before she finds it.
Review: Children will easily relate to this realistic tale of a lost item, interwoven with vivid spurts of imagination prompted by the search. The beautifully and creatively rendered illustrations will grab any reader's attention, no matter what age they are. Great for story-times or one-on-one with ages 2 and up.
Kirkus says: "suffused with Kellogg's characteristic warmth and charm."
Children's Literature says: "Steven Kellogg makes each of these scenes a celebration."
Review: Children will easily relate to this realistic tale of a lost item, interwoven with vivid spurts of imagination prompted by the search. The beautifully and creatively rendered illustrations will grab any reader's attention, no matter what age they are. Great for story-times or one-on-one with ages 2 and up.
Kirkus says: "suffused with Kellogg's characteristic warmth and charm."
Children's Literature says: "Steven Kellogg makes each of these scenes a celebration."
February 17, 2018
My kindergarteners enjoyed it. Some were quite serious about the main character’s flights of fancy (maybe a mouse was using the missing mitten as a sleeping bag, I read. “I don’t think mice need ‘em,” was one kid’s comment.) Others laughed at the idea of a mitten tree or an eaglet hat.
February 9, 2019
My sister recommended this to me and told me how good it was so I went into it expecting it to be a good read. This was such an unexpected delight. This is a funny book which I didn't expect and it nails the humor which is rare. Most of the time you can see the attempt but authors miss the mark. But it's clear that Kellogg has a sense of humor because so many pages were emanating with something funny, and the fact that he's also the illustrator is really impressive because he was able to capture the humorous text and bring it to life. The jokes just hit the mark every time.
When I first looked at the cover I didn't know how it was going to be, because the girl is a little odd-looking and not very pretty, and the cats have crazy big eyes. The only real complaint I had was with the illustrations because the people looked really bizarre and ugly most of the time. And the style if pretty old-fashioned.
I thought it was adorable that this girl, Annie, was going on this adventure to find her lost mitten with her dog, who was right there with her the whole time and a part of it.
It started with Annie realizing that she lost one of the mittens and announcing that this was the 5th lost mitten this winter and she'll be in big trouble. So she started thinking back to what she'd done that day to retrace her steps. She checked where she'd gone sledding with a friend, and she found a boot. I found it unlikely that the boy would have left his boot behind in the snow. If you lose a shoe in the wintertime in the snow, that's going to be the first thing you retrieve-immediately. And then she checked where she'd had a snowball fight at the snow castles with friends. She found the boy's other boot and I was like are you kidding me? He's going around in socks in the snow?? I don't think so! And her girl friend had lost a sock and another boy friend had lost a sweater. I was thinking what are these kids doing, taking off clothes in the snow?! I also noticed one fort had Annie and Ralph on the flag, but the other just had Ruth's name on the fort, even though there was a boy named Herbie playing too. His was the only name left out and it should have said Ruth and Herbie's Fort.
Suddenly Oscar the dog took off and Annie thought he'd found it. It showed a red object in the air, which was the color of the mitten, and it was funny how she said "Wow! A flying mitten!" Because she hadn't yet realized that it was a red bird.
So then she started using her imagination and wondering what could have happened to the mitten. She thought he could have taken the mitten to make a nest, and it showed the bird curled up in the mitten on a limb, but then she realized he's too small to carry it. She said an eagle could have done it, maybe to warm its baby. The picture of that eagle placing the mitten over the baby bird's head was so comical. All you could see was the mitten covering its head and two little wings sticking out. So cute!
But it was hilarious that she started wondering if her mitten got tired of being a mitten and hopped away, and the thought box showed her mitten hopping through the snow with mitten-shaped tracks! She noticed there weren't any mitten tracks where she was at. Mitten tracks! Come on, who thinks of this?!
She saw mouse tracks and wondered if the mouse was using it as a sleeping bag. A mouse was shown sleeping, with a smile on his little face, inside the mitten and it was so cute. She thought he could wear it next Halloween and be a mitten mummy, and he was completely obscured as he stood inside the mitten and only his feet were showing. 2 other mice looked adorable frightened, one holding a mask in his hand and the other wearing a little black mask over his eyes. Cute!
Annie went to Miss Seltzer's where she had made a snowman, but the old woman hadn't seen them. Annie said finding mittens was hard work and it would be easier to grow them. So she suggested to Oscar that they bury her remaining mitten and by next spring a mitten tree would grow. What an idea! It made me think of the old saying that money doesn't grow on trees and this was funny. She imagined that she and Miss Seltzer would take good care of it and by the fall there would be ripe mittens to pick. It was a cute detail that there was a little wooden sign in the ground with a picture of a mitten, showing what would be growing there. Miss Seltzer was pushing a wheelbarrow with a bag of mitten fertilizer. Mitten fertilizer--that's hilarious! And there was this spindly little tree with mittens growing off the branches.
He painted this huge tree with all these different-colored mittens as the leaves, with the two of them on ladders picking them and a startled neighbor watching.
She thought of giving them as Christmas presents, and all of her family got some. The old woman had a hat with gloves all coming out of the top, and a cat wearing one on top of its head, and the dogs holding one in their mouths. The bottom of the page showed her lying on her stomach pointing at Oscar, who looked like he didn't know what to do with the mitten lying on the ground. Talk about an idea running away with her!
For the librarian's birthday she would get 64 mittens to show her age, "64 birthday mittens." And the whole class would get some on Valentine's Day.
But then it was growing dark and it started raining and she despaired of ever finding it. Miss Seltzer invited her to come in for hot chocolate and it was sweet that she said she had a biscuit for Oscar. I love when an author thinks of the pet.
Annie noticed that the rain was melting the snowman and she saw a red mark on the shape of a heart on the snowman. It was funny that the woman said "Gracious! Your snowman has a heart!"
The last line was Annie saying her mitten was the snowman's heart and it was a nice touch that her mitten had gotten lost inside the snow while she was making the snowman and had gone it at the chest to make it look like he had a heart.
Usually I have a problem with books that have the characters imagining the whole thing while the story itself is nowhere near as grand, but in here it worked. Probably because it was going strong until the very end, and the end didn't disappoint because it was as heartwarming and funny as the rest of it and ended the whole story on a good note.
What a cute, funny story that's worth rereading.
When I first looked at the cover I didn't know how it was going to be, because the girl is a little odd-looking and not very pretty, and the cats have crazy big eyes. The only real complaint I had was with the illustrations because the people looked really bizarre and ugly most of the time. And the style if pretty old-fashioned.
I thought it was adorable that this girl, Annie, was going on this adventure to find her lost mitten with her dog, who was right there with her the whole time and a part of it.
It started with Annie realizing that she lost one of the mittens and announcing that this was the 5th lost mitten this winter and she'll be in big trouble. So she started thinking back to what she'd done that day to retrace her steps. She checked where she'd gone sledding with a friend, and she found a boot. I found it unlikely that the boy would have left his boot behind in the snow. If you lose a shoe in the wintertime in the snow, that's going to be the first thing you retrieve-immediately. And then she checked where she'd had a snowball fight at the snow castles with friends. She found the boy's other boot and I was like are you kidding me? He's going around in socks in the snow?? I don't think so! And her girl friend had lost a sock and another boy friend had lost a sweater. I was thinking what are these kids doing, taking off clothes in the snow?! I also noticed one fort had Annie and Ralph on the flag, but the other just had Ruth's name on the fort, even though there was a boy named Herbie playing too. His was the only name left out and it should have said Ruth and Herbie's Fort.
Suddenly Oscar the dog took off and Annie thought he'd found it. It showed a red object in the air, which was the color of the mitten, and it was funny how she said "Wow! A flying mitten!" Because she hadn't yet realized that it was a red bird.
So then she started using her imagination and wondering what could have happened to the mitten. She thought he could have taken the mitten to make a nest, and it showed the bird curled up in the mitten on a limb, but then she realized he's too small to carry it. She said an eagle could have done it, maybe to warm its baby. The picture of that eagle placing the mitten over the baby bird's head was so comical. All you could see was the mitten covering its head and two little wings sticking out. So cute!
But it was hilarious that she started wondering if her mitten got tired of being a mitten and hopped away, and the thought box showed her mitten hopping through the snow with mitten-shaped tracks! She noticed there weren't any mitten tracks where she was at. Mitten tracks! Come on, who thinks of this?!
She saw mouse tracks and wondered if the mouse was using it as a sleeping bag. A mouse was shown sleeping, with a smile on his little face, inside the mitten and it was so cute. She thought he could wear it next Halloween and be a mitten mummy, and he was completely obscured as he stood inside the mitten and only his feet were showing. 2 other mice looked adorable frightened, one holding a mask in his hand and the other wearing a little black mask over his eyes. Cute!
Annie went to Miss Seltzer's where she had made a snowman, but the old woman hadn't seen them. Annie said finding mittens was hard work and it would be easier to grow them. So she suggested to Oscar that they bury her remaining mitten and by next spring a mitten tree would grow. What an idea! It made me think of the old saying that money doesn't grow on trees and this was funny. She imagined that she and Miss Seltzer would take good care of it and by the fall there would be ripe mittens to pick. It was a cute detail that there was a little wooden sign in the ground with a picture of a mitten, showing what would be growing there. Miss Seltzer was pushing a wheelbarrow with a bag of mitten fertilizer. Mitten fertilizer--that's hilarious! And there was this spindly little tree with mittens growing off the branches.
He painted this huge tree with all these different-colored mittens as the leaves, with the two of them on ladders picking them and a startled neighbor watching.
She thought of giving them as Christmas presents, and all of her family got some. The old woman had a hat with gloves all coming out of the top, and a cat wearing one on top of its head, and the dogs holding one in their mouths. The bottom of the page showed her lying on her stomach pointing at Oscar, who looked like he didn't know what to do with the mitten lying on the ground. Talk about an idea running away with her!
For the librarian's birthday she would get 64 mittens to show her age, "64 birthday mittens." And the whole class would get some on Valentine's Day.
But then it was growing dark and it started raining and she despaired of ever finding it. Miss Seltzer invited her to come in for hot chocolate and it was sweet that she said she had a biscuit for Oscar. I love when an author thinks of the pet.
Annie noticed that the rain was melting the snowman and she saw a red mark on the shape of a heart on the snowman. It was funny that the woman said "Gracious! Your snowman has a heart!"
The last line was Annie saying her mitten was the snowman's heart and it was a nice touch that her mitten had gotten lost inside the snow while she was making the snowman and had gone it at the chest to make it look like he had a heart.
Usually I have a problem with books that have the characters imagining the whole thing while the story itself is nowhere near as grand, but in here it worked. Probably because it was going strong until the very end, and the end didn't disappoint because it was as heartwarming and funny as the rest of it and ended the whole story on a good note.
What a cute, funny story that's worth rereading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2019
This is a cute story; it's a nice book to read when we are in the middle of a hot summer. You can almost feel how cold the snow is. Warm mittens aren't exactly appropriate where we live, but you can appreciate the frustrating search for a lost item.
This book was featured as one of the selections for the October 2019: Celebrating Steven Kellogg discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books group here at Goodreads.
This book was featured as one of the selections for the October 2019: Celebrating Steven Kellogg discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books group here at Goodreads.
October 7, 2019
I really enjoyed this story very much. Kathryn already said about all there is to say about it--I loved that it jumped right into the "mystery," and all the girl's wild imaginations of where it might have ended up. I loved the girl's dog--a Dandie Dinmont terrier, with its mop of hair on its head and its short front legs. I also loved that he put a Pinkerton toy on the mantle of the fireplace in the Christmas scene. There are also some children's drawings of Pinkerton on the birthday mitten page. I really liked all the detail he put into each page. And I also adored the ending.
January 27, 2020
This is a fun book with a couple cute, imaginative twists... BUT, while the mystery of the missing mitten is solved, three far more sinister and troubling mysteries materialize: what happened to Ralph, Herbie, and Ruth? How could they survive in the desolate, frozen landscape without the vital clothing they left behind? Is Annie desperately trying to find the mitten so she doesn’t leave any evidence behind? Ultimately, this book raises so many more questions than answers. A mystery indeed.
December 12, 2018
Book 2/25 days of Christmas books. 12-2-2016
Book 13/25 days of Christmas books 12-12-2017
Book 11/25 days of Christmas books 12-11-2018
Book 13/25 days of Christmas books 12-12-2017
Book 11/25 days of Christmas books 12-11-2018
February 9, 2019
I read in the inside jacket that this was a re-imagining of Steven Kellogg’s classic The Mystery of the Missing Red Mitten, which I’ve never heard of.
It was sweet how the character's name is Annie; that's my sister's nickname.
In the beginning, I wasn’t sure how this would be. The illustrations didn't look that good, and I was a little annoyed at the idea of all these kids losing their clothing. I mean, I get losing a mitten, but for a kid to lose both their boots, a sock, and a sweater? It’s very unlikely. How do you lose your shirt outside?
Also her thinking the cardinal was her mitten, and that it was flying away. Although it was kind of humorous to think of a flying mitten.
I didn't expect this to start out with her looking for her mitten. I thought it would show her playing in the snow and then realizing at the end her mitten was lost.
The book is sort of a recap, as in it highlights in little square boxes what she did earlier in the day, and then she retraces her steps to look for her mitten.
It also shows her imaginings on what happened to her mitten, like the cardinal using it for its nest, and a bald eagle using it to keep its baby's head warm. It shows the baby eagle's head covered with the mitten.
This soon became unexpectedly humorous, and then comedy took hold, and the story became charming. And I ended up really enjoying it.
The first part that was really funny was when she thought her mitten got tired of being a mitten and just slipped off her hand and hopped away. It shows the mitten hopping in the snow.
She also thinks a mouse might be using it for a sleeping bag. Or that he'd wear it next Halloween and be a mitten mummy. She goes to see if she dropped her mitten at Miss Seltzer's house when they were making a snowman surprise for her. Miss Seltzer tells her it might be in the garden where they were making snow angels.
She says it would be easier to grow new mittens, and she'd plant a mitten and it would sprout next spring. Her and Miss Seltzer would take good care of it all summer. It shows her watering the mitten tree, and the elderly woman hauling Mitten Fertilizer! It was funny to see the picture of the tree sprouting mittens on the end.
They'd pick the ripe mittens in the fall, give mittens on Christmas, birthdays, and Valentine's Day.
I didn’t know where the mitten would turn up, but I was surprised it ended up being in the snowman. It didn’t look like a mitten, it definitely looked like it was a painted heart, so that took away a little from it.
The rain melts the snowman, so her mitten is peeking through. It looked more like her mitten on the last page.
To think if she'd looked at the snowman straightaway instead of going to the garden, she would have found it then. It ended up being in the one place she probably wouldn't have looked, on the actual snowman.
The names in here were funny. We have a Miss Seltzer and Ms. Calzone. I wondered who Miss Seltzer was to Annie, if she was a relative, or just a neighbor, and if she was babysitting her.
The illustrations were ok. The prettiest were the scenes of the sun, shining yellow on the snow and the trees, and the mountain scenes. I liked the trees in here, too.
The page with the eagle and its baby with the mitten on in the tree, and the blue/green mountain in the background with the sun above it was really nice.
The cats looked cute, all wide-eyed looking out the window at the snowman.
I loved all the colors on the page of the fall scene with the mitten tree.
The last page was pretty, also.
In his dedication at the back, there's a little snowman with twig arms that have mittens on the end. It was really cute to include mittens like that!
Overall this was a cute, funny, charming story. I've been wanting to read this since 2016, so I'm glad I finally did, because this ended up being enjoyable.
3.5 stars.
It was sweet how the character's name is Annie; that's my sister's nickname.
In the beginning, I wasn’t sure how this would be. The illustrations didn't look that good, and I was a little annoyed at the idea of all these kids losing their clothing. I mean, I get losing a mitten, but for a kid to lose both their boots, a sock, and a sweater? It’s very unlikely. How do you lose your shirt outside?
Also her thinking the cardinal was her mitten, and that it was flying away. Although it was kind of humorous to think of a flying mitten.
I didn't expect this to start out with her looking for her mitten. I thought it would show her playing in the snow and then realizing at the end her mitten was lost.
The book is sort of a recap, as in it highlights in little square boxes what she did earlier in the day, and then she retraces her steps to look for her mitten.
It also shows her imaginings on what happened to her mitten, like the cardinal using it for its nest, and a bald eagle using it to keep its baby's head warm. It shows the baby eagle's head covered with the mitten.
This soon became unexpectedly humorous, and then comedy took hold, and the story became charming. And I ended up really enjoying it.
The first part that was really funny was when she thought her mitten got tired of being a mitten and just slipped off her hand and hopped away. It shows the mitten hopping in the snow.
She also thinks a mouse might be using it for a sleeping bag. Or that he'd wear it next Halloween and be a mitten mummy. She goes to see if she dropped her mitten at Miss Seltzer's house when they were making a snowman surprise for her. Miss Seltzer tells her it might be in the garden where they were making snow angels.
She says it would be easier to grow new mittens, and she'd plant a mitten and it would sprout next spring. Her and Miss Seltzer would take good care of it all summer. It shows her watering the mitten tree, and the elderly woman hauling Mitten Fertilizer! It was funny to see the picture of the tree sprouting mittens on the end.
They'd pick the ripe mittens in the fall, give mittens on Christmas, birthdays, and Valentine's Day.
I didn’t know where the mitten would turn up, but I was surprised it ended up being in the snowman. It didn’t look like a mitten, it definitely looked like it was a painted heart, so that took away a little from it.
The rain melts the snowman, so her mitten is peeking through. It looked more like her mitten on the last page.
To think if she'd looked at the snowman straightaway instead of going to the garden, she would have found it then. It ended up being in the one place she probably wouldn't have looked, on the actual snowman.
The names in here were funny. We have a Miss Seltzer and Ms. Calzone. I wondered who Miss Seltzer was to Annie, if she was a relative, or just a neighbor, and if she was babysitting her.
The illustrations were ok. The prettiest were the scenes of the sun, shining yellow on the snow and the trees, and the mountain scenes. I liked the trees in here, too.
The page with the eagle and its baby with the mitten on in the tree, and the blue/green mountain in the background with the sun above it was really nice.
The cats looked cute, all wide-eyed looking out the window at the snowman.
I loved all the colors on the page of the fall scene with the mitten tree.
The last page was pretty, also.
In his dedication at the back, there's a little snowman with twig arms that have mittens on the end. It was really cute to include mittens like that!
Overall this was a cute, funny, charming story. I've been wanting to read this since 2016, so I'm glad I finally did, because this ended up being enjoyable.
3.5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2021
Have you ever lost something? You’d think whatever you lost your favorite book, toy, or shoes must be where you last saw it. In the book, The Missing Mitten Mystery, Annie and her dog Oscar retrace their steps to find her missing mitten. Annie’s lost more than just one mitten, she’s lost five mittens. She knew that if she didn’t find this one she would be in a lot of trouble. Author and illustrator Steven Kellogg describes Annie and Oscar’s journey to find her missing mitten. Annie begins her journey by retracing her steps, thinking, and following her tracks in the snow. She follows her steps but sees no sign of her missing mitten. She begins to wonder if a bird, eagle, or mouse took her mitten and used it as a warm barrier from the shivering cold winter temperatures. When it’s time for Annie to come inside from the rainy and cold conditions, she notices her snowman melting. As the snowman melts, she sees a read heart on her snowman! The red heart was Annie’s missing mitten, the mystery is solved. Steven Kellogg creates inviting child like conversations with Annie and her dog Oscar as they search to find her missing mitten. The illustrations depicted the unlikely nature of finding her mitten because everything was covered in snow.
This book would be ideal in the K-2nd grade classroom. This story is engaging, relatable, and relevant to all students because we’ve all lost something at one time or another. The Missing Mitten Mystery embodies attributes of a mystery genre book. Steven Kellogg incorporates clues, the retracing of steps, and the experience of other people perspectives. One way I would implement this text in the classroom is by asking students to identify all the places that Annie looked for her mitten. I would ask the students if they thought it could have been taken by the bird, eagle, or mouse to protecting them from the weather. I would ask students to justify their reasoning by using clues in the book as evidence. Another way I would use this text in the classroom is by asking students to identify the distinguishing features of a sentence. Steve Kellogg wrote with a lot of expression in this book. Asking students to identify these features pairs lovely to the Common Core Standard, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.1.A, which states that students need to Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation).
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this fun mystery book! I think it’s important to share this book in the elementary classroom because revisiting a familiar text can help young readers build confidence. If a student really enjoyed the selected book for the read aloud, then they’ll want to read that book again during their independent reading time. Mystery books require readers to go back and see what clues they missed, so for students to reread a text builds their fluency too. I can’t wait to add this to my library, I believe the kids will love to help Annie and Oscar find the missing red mitten.
This book would be ideal in the K-2nd grade classroom. This story is engaging, relatable, and relevant to all students because we’ve all lost something at one time or another. The Missing Mitten Mystery embodies attributes of a mystery genre book. Steven Kellogg incorporates clues, the retracing of steps, and the experience of other people perspectives. One way I would implement this text in the classroom is by asking students to identify all the places that Annie looked for her mitten. I would ask the students if they thought it could have been taken by the bird, eagle, or mouse to protecting them from the weather. I would ask students to justify their reasoning by using clues in the book as evidence. Another way I would use this text in the classroom is by asking students to identify the distinguishing features of a sentence. Steve Kellogg wrote with a lot of expression in this book. Asking students to identify these features pairs lovely to the Common Core Standard, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.1.A, which states that students need to Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation).
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this fun mystery book! I think it’s important to share this book in the elementary classroom because revisiting a familiar text can help young readers build confidence. If a student really enjoyed the selected book for the read aloud, then they’ll want to read that book again during their independent reading time. Mystery books require readers to go back and see what clues they missed, so for students to reread a text builds their fluency too. I can’t wait to add this to my library, I believe the kids will love to help Annie and Oscar find the missing red mitten.
November 19, 2017
This is a cute story about Annie and her dog Oscar. This book follows their backtracking memory of where they went during the day, so that they can find Annie's missing mitten. They look in all the places that they went that day, but they have no luck finding the mitten. Finally, it starts to get dark and rainy outside, so Annie's grandmother calls her inside for some hot chocolate. Then... they look out the window and realize that the mitten was right in front of them the whole time. While Annie was making the snowman outside, her red mitten must have gotten stuck inside of it. It got stuck right where the heart of the snowman would be. They all giggled.
I really enjoyed this book because of the detailed illustrations. At each place that they stopped to look for the mitten, there was a small box with an image of what Annie imagined the mitten was doing. For example, hopping away. I think that his could be a fun book for young children because it is a mystery, but they can see visuals of what is happening through the illustrations. I also think that this book could be fun for children to write their own story about "The missing mitten".
I really enjoyed this book because of the detailed illustrations. At each place that they stopped to look for the mitten, there was a small box with an image of what Annie imagined the mitten was doing. For example, hopping away. I think that his could be a fun book for young children because it is a mystery, but they can see visuals of what is happening through the illustrations. I also think that this book could be fun for children to write their own story about "The missing mitten".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2021
Annie and her dog, Oscar, have had a long day of playing in the snow-covered hills, but Annie has just realized that she has lost one of her mittens! As they backtracked where they'd been, Annie is full of imagination, thinking up ideas of what could have happened to the lost mitten. Pretty soon, the weather starts to get worse, and Miss Seltzer invites them inside. Looking out the window, Annie spots her mitten. It is the heart on the snowman she made for Miss Seltzer!
This book is for the tender-hearted. It is so innocent and heart-warming. Unfortunately, I did feel like it was kind of hard to connect to because where I live there is no snow. But even though the topic of snow is foreign to me, a lot of children would enjoy and relate closely to this book. My personal favorite part of the book is the double spread when Annie is imagining herself planting a mitten tree. In the fall, the tree is absolutely gorgeous with all the mittens in full bloom. The page speaks to you full of color, patterns, and warmth. This is the type of book you want to read when the snow is falling. You are curled up next to the first with a cup of hot cocoa- mmm I can just imagine it!
This book is for the tender-hearted. It is so innocent and heart-warming. Unfortunately, I did feel like it was kind of hard to connect to because where I live there is no snow. But even though the topic of snow is foreign to me, a lot of children would enjoy and relate closely to this book. My personal favorite part of the book is the double spread when Annie is imagining herself planting a mitten tree. In the fall, the tree is absolutely gorgeous with all the mittens in full bloom. The page speaks to you full of color, patterns, and warmth. This is the type of book you want to read when the snow is falling. You are curled up next to the first with a cup of hot cocoa- mmm I can just imagine it!
March 4, 2019
This book is about a little girl who lost one of her mittens and is determined to find it. During the story she comes up with many creative ways she lost her mitten as they trace their steps throughout the day. At the end the sun starts to come out and melt the snow, as the snow melted she realizes that she accidentally buried it in the snowman.
A theme in this is creativity, this theme is shown in how she came up with these extravagant ways she lost her mitten.
As I read this I found myself curious to what actually happened to her mitten and loving all the creativity, from a bird taking it to planting the other mitten to grow more mittens. It keeps the reader intrigued.
I would definitely recommend this book, because it sparks creativity and a sense of adventure. When reading it, it allows a kids mind to wonder and also shows responsibility in keeping up with your belongings.
A theme in this is creativity, this theme is shown in how she came up with these extravagant ways she lost her mitten.
As I read this I found myself curious to what actually happened to her mitten and loving all the creativity, from a bird taking it to planting the other mitten to grow more mittens. It keeps the reader intrigued.
I would definitely recommend this book, because it sparks creativity and a sense of adventure. When reading it, it allows a kids mind to wonder and also shows responsibility in keeping up with your belongings.
November 27, 2018
The Missing Mitten Mystery is about a little girl who loses her mitten while playing in the snow. Annie and her dog look everywhere for her mitten. After Annie goes inside, she looks out the window at the snowman she has built and sees her mitten in a very heartwarming place!
The Missing Mitten Mystery is a fun winter story; children of all ages can relate to losing mittens during the winter time. The illustrations in this story are very eye catching. This is definitely a book to add to your collection.
I would pair this book with other winter stories such as The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats or Snowballs by Lois Ehlert.
Quote: "Do you think my mitten got tired of being a mitten? Maybe it just slipped off my hand and hopped away."
The Missing Mitten Mystery is a fun winter story; children of all ages can relate to losing mittens during the winter time. The illustrations in this story are very eye catching. This is definitely a book to add to your collection.
I would pair this book with other winter stories such as The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats or Snowballs by Lois Ehlert.
Quote: "Do you think my mitten got tired of being a mitten? Maybe it just slipped off my hand and hopped away."
February 12, 2020
The Missing Mitten Mystery by Steven Kellogg
This book was a very heartwarming book. It was about a young girl and a dog who looks all over the place for her missing mitten. They backtracked to multiple locations; “Let’s look on Ralph’s Sled.” They also try and guess where the mitten could have gone, whether some type of animal has stolen it, or if it simply walked away. I think children can take away that you don’t give up and you keep trying. Even though it might not be the first place you check you continue to look. The illustrations in this book are beautifully drawn, they are very detailed and very specific. I really enjoyed looking at all the specific pictures. Recommended for children ages 5 to 7.
This book was a very heartwarming book. It was about a young girl and a dog who looks all over the place for her missing mitten. They backtracked to multiple locations; “Let’s look on Ralph’s Sled.” They also try and guess where the mitten could have gone, whether some type of animal has stolen it, or if it simply walked away. I think children can take away that you don’t give up and you keep trying. Even though it might not be the first place you check you continue to look. The illustrations in this book are beautifully drawn, they are very detailed and very specific. I really enjoyed looking at all the specific pictures. Recommended for children ages 5 to 7.
April 16, 2018
Genre: Mystery Children's Picture Book
I really liked this book and thought it would be a great read for students Kindergarten through Third Grade. I think students could easily relate to losing a mitten or glove and how it can be a mystery trying to find it back. One of my favorite things about the book are the pictures and how you could describe the story without reading the words.
One drawback is the size of text. It is small, so I would use this as a read a loud until students are ready to read a book like this on their own.
I really liked this book and thought it would be a great read for students Kindergarten through Third Grade. I think students could easily relate to losing a mitten or glove and how it can be a mystery trying to find it back. One of my favorite things about the book are the pictures and how you could describe the story without reading the words.
One drawback is the size of text. It is small, so I would use this as a read a loud until students are ready to read a book like this on their own.
November 3, 2025
A little girl is out in the snow with her dog and she's lost her red mitten, the fifth one she's lost this winter! As they retrace their steps to where they've been, they still can't find it! Where is her mitten?
This is a sweet story of all the fun there is to be had out in the snow as well as in one's imagination. I had to chuckle as the panic is real for a child who has already lost 4 mittens this season, with the 5th one right around the corner!
Text-to-text connection is The Mitten by Brett.
This is a sweet story of all the fun there is to be had out in the snow as well as in one's imagination. I had to chuckle as the panic is real for a child who has already lost 4 mittens this season, with the 5th one right around the corner!
Text-to-text connection is The Mitten by Brett.
February 27, 2018
Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery
One Unique Feature: One unique feature that this book contains are the small pictures that are in little thought bubbles that come out from the main characters head. These small pictures show what the main character is visualizing which is very unique. The little pictures also show where the characters are going next on their adventure to find the missing mitten.
Grade(s): K - 2nd grade
Date Completed: 2/26/18
Genre: Mystery
One Unique Feature: One unique feature that this book contains are the small pictures that are in little thought bubbles that come out from the main characters head. These small pictures show what the main character is visualizing which is very unique. The little pictures also show where the characters are going next on their adventure to find the missing mitten.
Grade(s): K - 2nd grade
Date Completed: 2/26/18
October 30, 2019
Such a cute story of a girl trying to find her lost mitten with the help of her dog! The story shows that the two had fun that day but now the focus is on finding the missing mitten. was it dropped? Is it still there? Was it picked up by a bird? This story shows the way one should retrace their steps to find a lost item.
January 9, 2022
While playing the snow all day, Annie realizes that she has lost another mitten, the fifth one this winter season. Annie and her dog Oscar retrace their steps in search of the missing mitten, but to no avail. The search doesn't stop Annie's imagination of where the missing mitten might be. This wintery tale will bring a smile to the reader as the mystery of the missing mitten is finally solved
November 13, 2025
This is such a cute book and a great way to introduce kids to the idea of mystery stories. This is a great starter for little kids before they jump into reading novels and chapter books. I would put this in my classroom library and would use this around Christmas time for a fun read aloud. I would recommend this book for classroom ages 1st-3rd.
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