The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun - Hardcover

Wendie Old has been a storyteller and children's librarian for over 30 years. She is the author of seven biographies for middle schoolers and one for early elementary school, as well as of three picture books for younger readers. Two of the picture books, Busy Toes and Busy Fingers, were three-writer collaborations and thus written under the pen name C. W. Bowie. Ms. Old takes many of the photographs for her own books and each one has a story behind it. (There's even a secret joke in the George Washington biograpghy.)

In honor of the upcoming 100-year aniniversary of flight, she recently published two biographies of the Wright Brothers: To Fly for younger readers and Wright Brothers for older readers. The mother of two daughters, Ms. Old is also owned by several cats, two hairy dogs, and a horse. She enjoys talking to both children and adults about many topics, especially about reading good books. 

Grade 2-5 - Billin-Frye's illustrations are so engaging that readers may, at first glance, think that this is a simple picture book. However, the table of contents and densely packed pages of text tell a different story. The first chapter opens with a detailed description of an early morning scene on February 2 in Punxsutawney, PA: the crowds, the fireworks, the music, and the magical moment when the Groundhog Handler reaches into an artificial tree stump, rudely awakens furry Phil, and "listens" to his prediction. The writing sometimes succeeds at being lighthearted, but it's heavy going when the author uses words like "prognosticator," "verdict," and "groundhogeese." The high point of one chapter is the color-splashed painting of a happy, dancing crowd; a smiling man is holding aloft a puzzled groundhog that is thinking, "Why they're celebrating six more weeks of winter, I just don't know." Other chapters cover "The Reason for Seasons," facts about groundhogs, details about hibernation, the beginnings of the groundhog festival, other animals famous for predicting the weather, and directions for putting together a Groundhog Day party. Unfortunately, the information is not always clearly presented. The author also makes inscrutable decisions about which words to define and which to assume that kids will know. Teachers or parents using this book with children will need to pre-read and then provide some of their own explanations. Still, this title provides some important facts that will slake curiosity, some groan-evoking riddles, and consistently adorable illustrations. - Susan Weitz, Spencer-Van Etten Schools, Spencer, NY
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