Little Mittens for The Little Darlings: Being the Second Book of the Series

In Short

This book is a compilation of charming, didactic stories designed for mid-1800s children, framed by a narrator who speaks directly to her "little darlings." Through tales of kittens, mispronounced long words, and the virtues of Sabbath-keeping, the author underscores the importance of piety, proper manners, and love for family. It has lasted as a fascinating time capsule of Victorian domesticity and moral instruction, offering a warm, if highly structured, glimpse into the way parents of that era sought to shape the hearts and habits of their youngest children.

The Story

The collection opens with the narrator, an affectionate surrogate "Aunt," addressing her young audience as kittens, setting a playful stage for the stories that follow. She weaves together domestic life and gentle moral correction. In the first major sequence, a mother reads a story to her children about three kittens who lose and eventually wash their mittens, a tale that keeps the children rapt with attention. This leads to a lesson on the importance of the Fourth Commandment; a mother tells of a young girl named Tillie who, while playing on a Sunday, inadvertently corrects her aunt's own violation of the Sabbath. This narrative device—using the innocent, observant voice of a child to guide the behavior of adults—is a recurring theme throughout the book.

The narrative then shifts to "Little Sallie," an only child whose penchant for using long, comically garbled words serves as both a source of amusement and a study in character. Sallie and her cousin Fanny chatter in a way that delights their mother, helping her forget her physical suffering. The girls' imaginative play, such as "keeping house" and visiting an ice cream parlor, highlights the period's emphasis on precocious, well-mannered childhood. The story culminates in the introduction of "Ilken Annie," a bright girl from Staten Island who navigates her own household responsibilities and participates in a festive, minstrel-style family concert. Annie’s life is portrayed as a model of innocence, surrounded by a loving family and a menagerie of pets. The book concludes by tying these disparate tales of childhood play back to the reality of the ongoing war, as the children finalize their knitting project. The final message is one of prayer and patriotic devotion, with the narrator encouraging the children to seek God’s blessing for the soldiers and to dedicate their own lives to goodness and faith.

How It Unfolds

The kittens' call The narrator establishes a warm, intimate relationship with her young readers, comparing them to kittens to create a sense of belonging. This sets the tone for a book that values affection and play as the primary vehicles for delivering life lessons.

The moral lesson The stories transition into explicit instruction, where a mother uses a story about the Sabbath to teach her children the necessity of keeping the Fourth Commandment. By centering the dialogue around children repeating scripture, the book emphasizes the transfer of tradition from parent to child.

The comedy of language The focus shifts to the amusing linguistic habits of children like Sallie, who attempt to master adult vocabulary with varying degrees of success. This section serves to show that while children are expected to be serious about faith, they are also permitted the joy of innocent, high-spirited play.

The domestic idyll The narrative moves to Staten Island to observe Ilken Annie, providing a view of an idyllic, orderly, and affluent home life. The inclusion of a family concert highlights the importance of shared, wholesome entertainment as a bonding agent for families.

The wartime conclusion The book returns to the frame story, where the completion of the mitten-knitting project connects the children’s domestic duties to the national crisis. The final beat is a call to prayer, grounding the entire series of stories in the religious context of the Civil War era.

The People

The narrator, Aunt Fanny, acts as the guiding spirit of the book, using her "big room in her heart" to nurture the children. She is playful and lighthearted but always purposeful. Little Sallie is the central, precocious child whose "kinks in her tongue" provide the book’s most humorous moments; her desire to be "mute as a mouse" while her mother is unwell shows her burgeoning empathy. Ilken Annie serves as the ideal of a young girl—capable, obedient, and genuinely curious about the world, whether she is reading her letters or playing with her dog, Grip. The Little Mothers and grandmothers throughout the tales act as the moral anchors, constantly reminding the younger generation of their responsibilities to God, family, and the soldiers. These characters are defined by their roles in the home and their commitment to propriety, with the children eventually learning to mirror the kindness and serious-minded faith of the women who raise them.

In Its Own Voice

The narrator uses a playful, nursery-rhyme style to draw the children into her lessons, such as when the mother corrects her kittens:

"Lost your mittens? Oh, you naughty kittens! Now you shan't have any pie!"

When Sallie describes her mother’s headache, she uses her signature "long words," showcasing her endearing habit of misusing vocabulary:

"It's very instraordinary that you should have such a head."

The narrator captures the specific, imaginative play of the children, who equate their own small actions with the broader world, noting:

"The little ones had listened, without losing a single word; and they understood it all, for Willie exclaimed: 'Oh, what a naughty aunt! but she won't do so again, will she, mamma?'"

What It's Really About

At its heart, the book is an argument for the "nurturing" of the child as the foundation of a moral society. It posits that children are capable of profound spiritual and moral understanding, provided they are guided by loving, religious parents. The recurring themes of obedience, the sanctity of the Sabbath, and the performance of duty—whether in school, at home, or in knitting for soldiers—suggest that childhood is a training ground for the responsibilities of adulthood. The book is preoccupied with the idea that domestic harmony and happiness are direct results of a life lived according to clear, biblical guidelines.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy historical children’s literature or who have an interest in 19th-century domestic culture will find this volume deeply evocative. It offers a rare, unfiltered look at how children were spoken to during the Civil War era: with a mix of high-flown moral expectations and genuine, sparkling affection. The experience of reading it feels like stepping into a well-kept parlor, where the atmosphere is warm, the language is formal yet intimate, and the values are unwavering.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the period’s specific attitudes. The instructional tone is unremitting, and the portrayals of "minstrel" entertainment and certain racial caricatures—common to the 1860s—are jarring and reflect the prejudices of that time. Furthermore, the constant emphasis on piety and the "proper" way to behave may feel restrictive to a contemporary sensibility. Yet, for those interested in the history of childhood and the way stories were used to forge national identity during times of conflict, this book provides a rich, if challenging, historical record. You will likely walk away from it thinking about the intense effort placed on preserving the "innocence" of children while the world outside their door was engulfed in war.