Groundhog Day
The CBC Holidays Series explores stories that relate to specific holidays so that readers of all ages can celebrate in the best way… with a good book!
Today is Groundhog Day and our groundhog celebrity Punxsutawney Phil has given his prediction: he didn’t see his shadow, meaning we have an early spring on the way. But why do we have this tradition of a groundhog predicting the weather’s future? The Pennsylvania Dutch developed this tradition based on Candlemas, where the clergy would give a blessing and distribute candles for the winter. The Pennslyvania Dutch took this idea and selected an animal to predict their needs for winter, thus a groundhog was selected and Groundhog Day was established in Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
Another way we celebrate this holiday is by watching Groundhog Day (1993), a movie where the protagonist finds himself repeating the same day over and over again.
Whichever way you choose, let’s enjoy Groundhog Day today!
Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather, by Bruce Koscielniak (Clarion Books) — Fiction, Picture Book, Animals, Holidays / Seasons / Celebrations, ages 4-6.
Groundhog Day, by Margaret McNamara; illus. Mike Gordon (Simon & Schuster / Simon Spotlight) — Fiction, Early Reader, Animals, Holidays / Seasons / Celebrations, Series, ages 4-6.
Groundhog Day! (New & Updated), by Gail Gibbons (Holiday House / Pixel Ink / Peachtree) — Nonfiction, Picture Book, Animals, Holidays / Seasons / Celebrations, ages 4-6.
Groundhog Gets It Wrong, by Jessica Townes; illus. Nicole Miles (Dial Books) — Fiction, Picture, Animals, Humor, Holidays / Seasons / Celebrations, ages 4-6.
Groundhog Weather School: Fun Facts About Weather and Groundhogs, by Joan Holub; illus. Kristin Sorra (Penguin Random House / G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers) — Fiction, Picture Book, Holidays / Seasons / Celebrations, Animals, ages 4-6.
Groundhog’s Day Off, by Robb Pearlman; illus. Brett Helquist (Bloomsbury USA Childrens) — Fiction, Picture Book, Animals, Holidays / Seasons / Celebrations, Humor, ages 4-6.
Groundhog’s Dilemma, by Kristen Remenar; illus. Matt Faulkner (Charlesbridge Publishing) — Fiction, Picture Book, Folklore / Fairytales / Myths, Animals, ages 4-6.
Groundhog’s Runaway Shadow, written and illustrated by David Biedrzycki (Charlesbridge Publishing) — Fiction, Picture, Animals, Holidays / Seasons / Celebrations, ages 4-6.
Groundhug Day, by Anne Marie Pace; illus. Christopher Denise (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) — Fiction, Picture Book, Animals, Holidays / Seasons / Celebrations, Humor, ages 4-6.
The Lilies, by Quinn Diacon-Furtado (HarperCollins / HarperTeen) — Fiction, Prose, Sci-Fi, LGBTQIA+, Mystery / Thriller, Teen.
Time After Time (Best Wishes #3), by Sarah Mlynowski and Christina Soontornvat (Scholastic Press) — Fiction, Prose, Fantasy, Humor, Series, ages 7-12.
Celebrate Groundhog Day by reading a book!
List compiled by CBC’s resident holiday expert, Sommer Wissner. Check out other CBC Holiday book lists on our blog.
