A 20th Anniversary edition of a classic Ukranian folktale. Nickie wants his grandmother to make him mittens that are white as snow. She fears they will get lost, but makes them anyway. Sure enough, Nickie loses a mitten and it becomes a cozy place for one creature after another...until a small mouse arrives and upsets the balance. Another version of this tale was released this season with charming illustrations by Barbara McClintock and a slightly different telling by Jim Aylesworth. It might be fun to share both tellings with young listeners, asking them to tell what is different and what is the same. Comparing the same story helps children understand how folktales have a way of evolving...and even gives them the idea that they too can retell famiiar stories in their own words and way.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2009.