The Lost Mitten

A Snowy Morning

One cold winter morning, the whole town was covered in soft white snow. The rooftops were white. The trees were white. Even the little garden gate was topped with a fluffy snow hat.

A girl named Rosa pulled on her warm boots and her big puffy coat. She popped on her woolly hat.

"I'm going to play in the snow!" she called.

Out she went, crunching through the snow. Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Something Red

As Rosa walked down the path, she saw something bright in all the white.

It was small. It was red. It was poking up out of the snow.

Rosa bent down and picked it up. It was a mitten — a cozy red mitten with a little white snowflake stitched on the front.

"Someone lost their mitten," said Rosa. "Their hand must be so cold!"

She looked around. But there was nobody there. Just snow, snow, and more snow.

Who Could It Belong To?

Rosa held the little red mitten. "I should find who this belongs to," she decided. "I would want someone to help me if I lost my mitten."

So Rosa set off to look. Crunch, crunch, crunch.

First she saw old Mr. Pat shoveling his path. "Mr. Pat, is this your mitten?" she asked.

Mr. Pat held up his big grey gloves and chuckled. "Not mine, little one. But how kind of you to ask!"

Knock, Knock

Next, Rosa knocked on the door of the bakery, where it smelled like warm bread.

"Is this red mitten yours?" she asked the baker.

The baker smiled. "Not mine, dear. But try the little house by the park. I think I saw a child there with red mittens."

"Thank you!" said Rosa, and off she went. Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Found You!

Rosa walked all the way to the little house by the park. In the front yard, a small boy was building a snowman. He had one red mitten on his right hand — and his left hand was bare and pink with cold, tucked under his arm.

"Excuse me!" called Rosa. "Did you lose a red mitten?"

The boy's eyes went wide. "Yes! I dropped it on my walk this morning. My hand is so cold!"

Rosa held out the little red mitten with the white snowflake.

"My mitten!" the boy cheered. He pulled it on. "Now both my hands are warm! Thank you so, so much!"

The Best Feeling

The boy's name was Sam. He was so happy that he asked Rosa to help finish the snowman. They rolled the snow and made a big round head. They gave it stick arms and a carrot nose.

When they were done, they stood back and laughed. Their cheeks were rosy. Their hands were warm.

"You walked all over town just to give back my mitten," said Sam. "That was really kind."

Rosa smiled. "Helping you made me happy too," she said. And it was true. Her heart felt warm, even in the cold snow.

From that day on, Rosa and Sam were friends. And every snowy morning, they remembered the day a little lost mitten brought them together.

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The gentle lesson: Helping someone else feels good for everyone. Even a small kind act, like returning a lost mitten, can make a big difference.

More stories to read: share kindness in The Friendly Dragon or solve a mystery with Pippa and the Talking Tree.