Can't Please 'Em All! Substitute Groundhog by Kristen Remener

"I SEE MY SHADOW!" GROUNDHOG DECLARED.

HALF THE ANIMALS CHEERED. THE OTHER HALF GROANED.

Mama Squirrel is particularly displeased. Being stuck for six more weeks in a hole in a tree with her little nutters is making her nuts!

"I JUST CALL IT LIKE I SEE IT!" GROUNDHOG MUMBLED.

The restive early spring advocates are disgruntled by the message and berate the messenger. Poor Groundhog ducks back down into his den and lays low until spring finally appears in its own time.

At last everyone comes out to forage, Mama Squirrel still lamenting that berries six weeks earlier would have tasted better, while Hare lavishly praises Groundhog for giving her fur coat extra time to become even more luxurious and proffers a basket of berries to her benefactor.

THIS EXCHANGE DID NOT GO UNNOTICED.

Suddenly, Groundhog finds himself everybody's new best friend. Mama Squirrel invites her "old pal Groundhoggy" to sit with her and share some peanuts at the opening baseball game, with a hint that perhaps he can return the favor next February 2. Despite his protests that he can't control the weather, Groundhog finds a lot of his would-be friends also vying to grease his palms with a little payola for a promise of an early spring.

Coach Sparrow offers him a special perk, a position on the baseball team, to sweeten the deal for an early spring training next year, and Hare drops by with a pie in the way of a counter offer for fur-growing chill. Bear offers an obvious bribe for more sack time next spring, and soon even our virtuous hognosticator finds himself giving in to the inducements of his opinionated public with vague promises to both sides.

But he knows this popularity can't last. Spring will come when it comes no matter what. Either way, someone is going to be feel cheated. Groundhog spends a winter of discontent doing some serious thinking, with musings of "First to thine own self be true."

And on Groundhog's Day, Mother Nature doesn't make it any easier. It dawns chilly and--the whistlepig's worse nightmare--partly cloudy. Groundhog sighs as he pokes his head out of his hole.

"I'M SORRY, EVERYONE.

I CALL IT LIKE I SEE IT!" HE SAYS.

It's a victory for honest public servants, in Kristen Remener's Groundhog's Dilemma (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2015). Author Remener tells her tale well, laying out the temptations to please the public in a little parable of local politics for young readers, and artist Matt Faulkner uses his noted skills to make the self-serving motives of the characters comically evident in his clever illustrations. With a piquant little story for this admittedly minor "holiday" that broaches the subject of public honesty lightly but clearly, this is one of the best of this year's bunch for Groundhog's Day. Say the Kirkus reviewer, "Remenar's graceful prose and the subtlety of her message, pitched to older preschoolers and early-elementary students, are a good match. A sly and funny take on truth-telling and friendship."

For an absolute glut of February 2 tales, see my Groundhog Roundup here.

Whistle Pig School: Groundhog Weather School by JoanHolub

HAPPY GROUNDHOG'S DAY!

I DO NOT SEE MY SHADOW. THAT MEANS SPRING IS HERE!

Rabbit takes the word of his friendly neighborhood groundhog seriously. "YAHOO!" he rejoices, as he joyously dons his tropical shirt and shades and clambers up out of his burrow to greet the spring.

SIGH!

Rabbit is greeted by a snowy scene and freezing weather. "I guess it's really hard to predict the weather," he grumbles sadly, and dashes off a letter to Weather Groundhog, suggesting he train some apprentices to help him gather more data for next year. "Hmmmm," says Professor Groundhog, who sees an opportunity to advance his profession here. Soon he's fashioned a catchy ad to attract students for his new venture:

HAVE YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A WEATHER FORECASTER?

TAKE THIS QUIZ AND CHECK ALL THAT APPLY!

Requirements are stringent. Applicants must be mammals, rodents, furry, burrow-dwelling, and hibernation prone. More than a few good woodchucks make the cut, including one interloper, Skunk, who meets all the conditions except the last one. He tries bedding down by December, but January finds him wide-awake and hungry. Still, he sneaks into the matriculating class ("I'm an exchange student," he explains.)

With fresh shiny faces in line, Professor Groundhog's Weather School welcomes its freshman class for introductory lectures in GeHOGraphy, and the Prof takes them through the history of Groundhog's Day, the various names for their species (woodchuck, whistle pig) their habitat (Northeastern and central North America) and some famous icons of Hognostication--Punxatawney Phil of Pennsylvania, Pierre C. Shadeaux of Louisiana (actually a nutria, but hey, he's a Cajun sensation!) Buckeye Chuck of Ohio, Sir Walter Wally of Raleigh, North Carolina, General Beauregard Lee Lilburn of Georgia, and Staten Island Chuck of, of course, New York. "Is this going to be on the test?" whines one typical student.

But when the day for the Big Test rolls around, Professor Groundhog's class proves themselves, er, well-grounded in groundhog lore, and he's all ready to roll out his group prediction by the upcoming February 2 deadline. Will groupthink trump the Professor's call this year, or will Rabbit be disappointed yet again when he peeps out of his hole?

Joan Holub's brand-new Groundhog Weather School (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2011) provides a nifty way to take youngsters through a good deal of weather lore and information, all within the boundaries of a tongue-in-cheek tale that can brighten this year's Groundhog Day whether it's sunny or not. Prolific children's author Holub (The 100th Day of School (Hello Reader!, Level 2) combines her narrative skills with Kristin Sorra's arresting mixed-media art to make a book that kids will want to pour over for all the delicious tidbits of groundhog humor in both text and illustrations, joining Gail Gibbons' standard, Groundhog Day! and recent "hognosticators" such as Ten Grouchy Groundhogs, Go To Sleep, Groundhog! Gretchen Groundhog, It's Your Day! Punxsutawney Phyllis and Substitute Groundhog in the lineup of storytime tales for this just-for-fun holiday.

Oh, and Rabbit, just in case, pack earmuffs AND your sunglasses for that overnight on February 1. It IS hard to predict the weather!

Walk-On Woodchuck: Substitute Groundhog by Pat Miller

The day before Groundhog Day, Groundhog woke up sick. His muscles ached and his throat hurt.

"You have a bad case of the flu, you do," said Dr. Owl. "Bed rest for two days."

But Groundhog is a conscientious public servant with no built-in sick days. Tomorrow is the big day in woodchuck world, and someone has to be on the job to predict the arrival of spring.

Then Groundhog gets a thought. "I'll advertise for a substitute groundhog," he thinks. And he quickly fashions a sign to post at the Hidey Hole Diner:

WEATHER TELLER NEEDED. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!

Obviously, Groundhog hasn't given much thought to his own job description, and as he works his way through the long line of applicants at the door of his den, he realizes that not just anyone has the right stuff for the job.

Mole has no problems with the going down in a dark hole part of the job, but when he auditions for the big February 2 appearance part, he flunks the bit where he has to be able to actually see his shadow. Hmmm. Next!

Eagle is full of self-confidence as he points out that he has, well, an eagle eye that can spot a shadow a mile away. The problem is, Eagle has some reservations about the ergonomical working conditions inside Groundhog's hole. "Will there be room to stretch my wings?" he asks. Well, er, no; not a perk of this job.

Bear has no problem with a snug, warm hole in the ground. "This is perfect," he exults as he slips into the comfy den. But Bear's problem is with the waking-up part of the job. As Groundhog waits for him to pop up and look for a tell-tale shadow, Bear just, um, "snores on." (Sorry, Karma Wilson) Don't call us; we'll call you!

Obviously, Groundhog needs a lively weatherman who won't forget to wake up and zip out of the hole on cue. "I can do it!" says squirrel, and he shows off his high energy level as he springs out of the den and runs up and down a nearby tree. Unfortunately, he's too hyperactive to remember the most important part of the job--looking for his shadow. Groundhog is feeling sicker by the minute, and there seems to be no neighbor who is right for the job.

"Howdy there, Groundhog. How about give me a chance? My name is Armadillo."

A cowboy-attired armadillo tips his ten-gallon hat and reels off his resume.

"I live in a hole. I like small spaces. I see my shadow just fine. And I will pop up and stay up."

Hired! Groundhog Day is saved again, and what's more, when the big day is done, Armadillo invites the wheezy weatherman to head back to Texas, where it's already spring, for a timely cure for the flu.

Pat Miller's Substitute Groundhog, ably and humorously illustrated by Kathi Ember, is a great read-aloud for this special day. For a complete "groundhog roundup" for the younger set, see my reviews from yesteryear for some top-of-the-morning-to-ya woodchuck sagas here. For an independent reader's introduction to all things groundhog, take a look at Michelle Becker's Groundhog Day (Rookie Read-About Holidays).