Groundhog Stays Up Late

This Groundhog would rather play than prepare for Winter or hibernate. So while all of his animal friends nestled into their beds, he played in the snow. But it was a lonely business, entertaining himself; and besides, he was hungry and cold. After his sleepy friends rebuffed him, Groundhog decided to declare an early Spring so that everyone would wake up and eat. The animals were initially happy about the announcement -- until snow began to fall and the calendar revealed the date to be January 2nd, not February 2nd. His friends wanted to punish Groundhog, but he had finally returned to his burrow and was fast asleep. When he woke up a month later, he saw a strange shadow and thought there would still be six more weeks of Winter. Little did he know that his friends had tricked him by painting the shadow on the ground. They enjoyed the early Spring days while Groundhog went back to sleep. This mildly amusing story is accompanied by realistic and playful illustrations. Seasonal banners that extend across some double-pages add to young reader interest and keep the storyline moving. See Judy Cox's "Go to Sleep, Groundhog," for a similar but different treatment.

In this delightful tale we find that Groundhog does not want to go to sleep. He wants to play, make snowmen, have a snowball fight and build a fort, but all his friends are ready for a long winter nap. Groundhog is stubborn and stays awake, but soon finds himself to be lonely so he plays a trick on his friends to wake them up way before February 2nd. Maybe that wasn't too good an idea. What do you think happens? You'll giggle when you find out. This is a really cute tale showing that if you play a trick on someone you can expect to get it back many times over. and also gives children the story of Groundhog Day. The illustrations are bright and cheery and flow nicely with the story. This is sure to entertain your child.

Groundhog adores running around and playing with his friends. So when winter comes, he decides that he won't be hibernating this year. His friends warn him that he'll only end up feeling cold and hungry, but Groundhog refuses to listen. Unfortunately, Groundhog soon finds that refusing to hibernate has only left him feeling lonely, as all of his friends have decided to take part in "the long nap." So Groundhog comes up with a wonderful idea, that will trick his friends, and give him something to do...he decides to announce that Spring has come early! But when his friends discover the truth, they decide to play a little trick on Groundhog. One that he'll never forget. It is so rare to find children's books about Groundhog Day, so I was ecstatic when I stumbled upon Margery Cuyler's GROUNDHOG STAYS UP LATE. Groundhog is an adorable character who never learns his lesson, while his friends are little tricksters themselves, who love to take part in a good joke every now and then. The delightful story, accompanied by Jean Cassels gorgeous illustrations, will leave young readers enthralled with the story for hours, and parents may find it a challenge to pry it out of their little hands. A delightful story! Erika Sorocco Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper