One winter day, Grandpa was walking through the forest and didn't notice as his big woolen mitten slipped right off his hand and landed softly on the snow. There it lay—soft, warm, a perfect little house!
A tiny mouse came hopping by. She saw the mitten and squeaked with joy: "Oh, what a cozy little cottage! I can hide from the cold in here!" And she crawled inside, curled up into a ball, and hummed with happiness.
A moment later, a frog stopped at the mitten. She was hopping through the snowy forest and felt so chilly. "Ribbit-ribbit, who lives in this house?" she asked.
"I'm Mouse! Who are you?"
"I'm Frog the Jumper. Please let me in to warm up!"
"Come in," said Mouse.
So Frog squeezed inside. They sat together—Mouse in one finger, Frog in another. Snug and warm.
Then a rabbit rushed up to the mitten, shivering all over. "Who lives in this little house?" he asked in a tiny voice.
"We do—Mouse and Frog! And who are you?"
"I'm Rabbit the Runner. Can I come in too? It's so cold outside!"
"Squeeze in," said the animals.
Rabbit wiggled into the mitten. It was getting a bit tight, but with everyone together, it was even warmer.
Next, a fox trotted over. She saw the mitten and said, "What a wonderful little house! Who's inside?"
"We are: Mouse, Frog, and Rabbit!" the animals called out. "And who are you?"
"I'm Fox the Sister. Please let me in—I want to get warm!"
"Come in, there's room," they said.
Fox carefully crept inside. Now it was even tighter, but no one complained. They were all happy to be together.
Then a wolf found the mitten. He sniffed it and asked, "Who's in this little house?"
"We are: Mouse, Frog, Rabbit, and Fox! And who are you?"
"I'm Wolf the Brother. It's very cold in the forest—please take me in!"
The animals were a little scared because Wolf was big. But then they said, "Come in if you can fit."
Wolf gently squeezed into the mitten. Now it was very crowded, but they all kept each other warm.
Finally, a big bear came along. He was so shaggy and heavy! "Who lives here?" he rumbled.
"We all do: Mouse, Frog, Rabbit, Fox, and Wolf!" they answered. "And who are you?"
"I'm Bear. Can I come in too?"
The animals looked at each other. Bear was enormous! But Mouse squeaked softly, "Come in, Bear! Together we'll be even warmer!"
Bear started to crawl inside. He pushed and pushed, and the mitten stretched until its seams creaked! But all the animals pulled together—and he fit!
Now there were six animals in the mitten. It was tight, but so cozy and warm! They sat and smiled, glad they weren't alone.
Meanwhile, Grandpa noticed he had lost his mitten and came back to look for it. He saw something moving on the snow and walked closer—there was his mitten, puffed up like a ball!
Grandpa smiled, picked up the mitten, and gave it a little shake. Out popped the animals, one by one: Mouse, Frog, Rabbit, Fox, Wolf, and Bear. They were all toasty and warm now, and they scurried off happily in different directions.
Grandpa put on his mitten and headed home, chuckling to himself. It's good when everyone can find shelter in the cold.