Synopsis
Ten grouchy groundhogs
Crowded in their den,
They squirmed and they stretched
And then...then...then...
TEN GROUCHY GROUNDHOGS is a hilarious countdown story about a den of grouchy, grubby, gobbling, gabby, giggly, groovy, graceful, glitzy, gleeful, groggy groundhogs getting ready for their great big day.
Children's Literature
Teaching readers about counting down from ten to one, this book tells the tale of several groundhogs who have been living in a burrow but for various reasons want to get out of the crowd. One grubby groundhog announces that he has to have a bath and cries "Let me out, out, out!" Another seeks peace and quiet, and still another has a toothache. Each ground hog is described with a "g" word: grouchy, grubby, graceful, gabby, goofy, groovy, gobbling, glitzy. Sometimes the situations and rhyming seems quite silly, and each final stanza ends the same way: "Let me out, out, out!" Young readers will soon pick up the pattern and join in. Once all ten are outside, they look around, see their shadows, and dive back into their den for a few more days of sleep. The back cover describes the tradition associated with Groundhog Day on February 2 each year. If the groundhogs see their shadows, then there will be six more weeks of winter. If they do not, then spring will soon arrive. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot