The Mitten: A Ukrainian Folktale (Board)

Chapter One

"If you drop a white mitten in the snow, it will be hard to find," his grandmother told him.

But Nicki wanted snow-white mittens so much that Baba made them for him.

When she finished knitting, Nicki trot on the mittens and went out to play.

It wasn't long before one mitten fell off.

A little mole found it and crawled inside. It was just the right size, so he decided to stay.

A rabbit came hopping by. He wiggled in next to the mole.

A hedgehog wanted to get warm. The mole and the rabbit made room for him.

The owl didn't want to be left out. So the mole, the rabbit, and the hedgehog had to move over. The little mitten was getting crowded.

A badger looked out of his house and saw the mitten. He climbed right in.

It started to snow, so a fox pushed his way in and made himself right at home.

Then a big bear sniffed at the mitten. The animals were packed in tight, but the bear didn't care.

He crawled in anyway. The mitten was getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

Then a tiny mouse squeezed in and perched herself on the big bear's nose.

The mouse's whiskers tickled the bear's nose. "Aaaaa-aaaaa-ca-chew!" the bear sneezed. All the animals flew out of the mitten.

(Continues...)