Summary: This popular winter story is based on a Ukrainian folktale, and the beautiful illustrations by Jan Brett help to bring the book to life. This story begins with Nicki, a young Ukrainian boy whose grandmother, Baba, knits him white mittens. She warns him not to lose them because it would be difficult to find them in the snow. Shortly thereafter, Nicki looses one of his mittens, and he begins to search for it. As he searches, a variety of forest animals take refuse in his mitten. First the mole, then the rabbit, hedgehog, owl, badger, fox, and even a bear - all nestle inside the tightly-stretched mitten. Finally a little mouse sneaks in, tickling the nose of the bear. The bear sneezes, and suddenly all of the animals fall out of the mitten, which sails into the air and in Nicki's sight.
Vocabulary:
- tunneling - to move by making tunnels
- burrow - to move or nestle in to take shelter
- admire - to like something very much
- jostle - to push roughly
- commotion - racket or chaos
- talons - claws of a bird or animal
- diggers - long claws often used for digging soil
- investigate - to inspect
- drowsy - to feel tired
- lumber - to move in a clumsy way
- hold fast - to stick to something; to continue even when difficult
- silhouette - the shape of something seen against a background
Questions:
Who is Baba? Why do you think she decided to make Nicki happy by making the mittens white?
How did Nicki lose his mitten?
What were the rabbits "big kickers?"
What types of things do you think the hedgehog found to eat?
What other animal is covered in prickles?
Why did the animals let the owl in after they saw his talons?
The badger "eyed the mitten." What does it mean to "eye" something?
The cozy mitten made the fox feel drowsy. What makes you feel drowsy?
Look at the last picture in the book. What do you think Baba was thinking?
How do you know this story could never happen? Give two reasons.
Free Activities:
Kinder Sisters have a small writing activity and a sequencing activity.
TeachWithMe.com has a 24-page activity pack that includes rhyming, verbs, characters, and writing, just to name a few. (You will need to create an account to download.) They also have another activity pack that you can find here.
homeschoolcreations offers multiple activities for preschoolers.
The First Grade Parade offers a download and some super cute ideas that you can do yourself!
How did Nicki lose his mitten?
What were the rabbits "big kickers?"
What types of things do you think the hedgehog found to eat?
What other animal is covered in prickles?
Why did the animals let the owl in after they saw his talons?
The badger "eyed the mitten." What does it mean to "eye" something?
The cozy mitten made the fox feel drowsy. What makes you feel drowsy?
Look at the last picture in the book. What do you think Baba was thinking?
How do you know this story could never happen? Give two reasons.
Free Activities:
Kinder Sisters have a small writing activity and a sequencing activity.
TeachWithMe.com has a 24-page activity pack that includes rhyming, verbs, characters, and writing, just to name a few. (You will need to create an account to download.) They also have another activity pack that you can find here.
homeschoolcreations offers multiple activities for preschoolers.
The First Grade Parade offers a download and some super cute ideas that you can do yourself!
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