The Three Little Mittens

PreS-K–A fabulous story built on the premise that all hell will not break loose if things do not match. Two pink-spotted mittens, Dotty and Other Dotty, cling together like the smug pair they are, excluding Stripes, another mitten who has lost her partner. Being the third mitten buried in a pocket is not much of a life, but then Other Dotty disappears, as mittens do, and the little girl owner decides that wearing mismatched mittens Dotty and Stripes suits her just fine. In fact, Dotty and Stripes get along beautifully—until Other Stripes returns after missing for two months under the couch. At first, the two striped mittens reunite. But the little girl leans into mismatching and pulls out all the other single mittens she’s been hoarding. Can the sock drawer revolution be far behind? It’s hard to believe how many lessons Bailey and Shaloshvili knit into this bountiful book on friendship, inclusion, rebellion, and questioning the status quo, in fairly spare text and in illustrations that have the texture, colors, and fuzzy look of a mohair sweater. The mittens (and socks and shoes) have googly eyes and sweet faces, and when humans start to show up, they are as diverse as the mittens and in almost as many colors, plus one uses a wheelchair. What a glorious metaphor.