Letting Sleeping Groundhogs Lie: Groundhog Day by Gail Gibbons and The Groundhog Book of Facts and Fun by Wendy Old

Once upon a time, books for Groundhog Day were as hard to find as, well, groundhogs in January. Happily, authors and publishers seem to have realized that they were behind the curve on this popular subject, resulting in the current plentitude of publications to choose from.

For introductory nonfiction on holidays, Gail Gibbons is the go-to girl, and she doesn't disappoint with her 2007 Groundhog Day! In her usual upbeat style she introduces the ancient European customs of the midwinter watch for signs of spring. Smack-dab in the middle, February 2 comes six weeks after the winter solstice and six weeks before the spring equinox and marks the time when people began to look to nature for signs that hibernating animals were beginning to rouse from their sleep, especially the bear, hedgehog, and badger. Gibbons describes these rites of pre-spring, observed with candlelit vigils (hence its old name Candlemas) and a burst of pre-spring housecleaning, including letting the old winter fire die and cleaning out the hearth to start a fresh blaze.

No hedgehogs to be found in North America? Enter Punxsutawney Phil, the iconic groundhog (also known as the marmot or woodchuck). Gibbons credits Clymer Freas with the inception of this media event in 1886 and describes the modern scene in Punxsatawney, Pennsylvania, where, surrounded by cameras, reporters and crowds holding signs proclaiming We Love Phil, officials roust Phil from his burrow under a fake tree stump on Gobbler's Knob at exactly 7:25 AM. In their famous photo op the city fathers let Phil pretend to whisper his decision about whether he stays awake or goes back for another long winter's nap.

Gibbons goes on to relate some interesting groundhog facts, his size (5-10 pounds, 20inches long from nose to stumpy tail), his diet (leaves, berries, insects, and almost anything that won't eat him), his range (Eastern U.S. and most of Canada), and his impressive, many-chambered burrow (with dining room and potty place), and his hibernating physiology (one heartbeat each five minutes). Gibbons includes a map depicting other famous forecasting groundhogs--Dunkirk Dave (New York), General Lee (Atlanta), Chuck Wood (Los Angeles), Shubenacadia Sam (Nova Scotia), and my favorite, Sir Walter Wally of (where else?) Raleigh, North Carolina. The author concludes with a brief appendix, titled "Digging Up Groundhog Facts."

All in all, it's admirably classy informational offering from Gail Gibbons, with almost everything you ever wanted to know about groundhogs and their day, abetted by her humorous and bright illustrations throughout. For older readers (who are likely to be assigned to write a research report on this observance), a great source is Wendy Old's The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun, which boasts eight chapters, with headings such as "Reasons for Seasons," "What Is a Groundhog?" "The Beginnings of Groundhog Day," "More Than Punxsutawney Phil" (with another great groundhog named Pierre C. Shadeaux from Cajun country), and "Have a Groundhog Day Party!" Interspersed through the child-friendly information are great groaners of groundhog riddles and appealing illustrations to keep readers turning the pages happily.

When you really think about this event, as these authors ably encourage us to do, Groundhog Day burrows rather, er, deep into the human psyche. The ancient pull of earth's turning upon its axis, trust in the traditional signs that promise brighter times, a chance for a little midwinter fun around a newly laid fire--what's not to like? In the words of our ancestors,

"If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again."

We can only hope!