Thursday, June 18, 2009

Gretchen Groundhog, it's your day!



Type of emotional/crisis issues addressed: Anxiety in children


Authors: Abby Levine

Year of Publication: 1998

ISBN # 0807530581

Age Level: 3-5 years old

Quality of illustrations: The watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations--full-page, half-page, and cameos--have lots of child appeal.


Brief Summary
An interesting introduction to Groundhog Day prefaces the story. Then it's all about Gretchen Groundhog, who comes from a long line of groundhog prognosticators but is too shy to go out in front of the crowd and peer at her shadow. The one joke goes on a little too long, but things take a twist when Hester, the daughter of the town historian, comes with clippings that prove many of Gretchen's illustrious ancestors have been shy on their day of duty as well. Few things are available for Groundhog Day, so libraries may find this useful for the holiday story hour; they may also want it on hand when requests come in for books about shyness.


Activity: After reading out loud, children could draw pictures of his favorite pet in front of a crow. Is it shy?

No comments: