A good choice for curriculum-boosting an underrated holiday. Poor Gretchen Groundhog is very shy, but this year, it’s her turn to pop out of the hole on February 2nd to tell everyone whether there will be six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Great-Uncle Gus, too old for the job, offers Gretchen plenty of encouragement, but she just doesn’t think she can manage with all those people. Then her human friend, Hester, the town historian’s daughter, comes to visit with a box of old writings. Gretchen reads the words of other shy groundhogs from the past, e.g., Goody Groundhog who came on the Mayflower, George Groundhog who served at Valley Forge, etc. Gretchen realizes that she can face the crowds, just as her illustrious ancestors did, even before the official inauguration of Groundhog Day in 1887. Illustrations in soft pencil show appealing townspeople, an elegantly dressed little groundhog, and a charming burrow, complete with a picture window, stone fireplace, and a computer with Internet access (“You Have Mail”). Simple and sweet. (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-8075-3058-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1998
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PLB 0-7358-1068-0 Woodland creatures are terrified to discover a hippopotamus in their midst, but when they discover he’s a friendly fellow, his size becomes less intimidating. When a small circus decides they don’t need Horatio, the hippopotamus decides to go home to Africa instead of waiting around to be sold. He ends up in a deciduous forest, where squirrels, mice, and badgers peek at him from among the leaves. Horatio’s gentle nature wins them over, just in time for them to help him baffle the hunters who are hot on his trail. “How could a hippo vanish into thin air?” puzzles one hunter as he leans against a large gray boulder. By the time he figures out the rock was really Horatio, the hippo has found another hiding place (his legs become tree stumps the hunters climb as part of their search; he also becomes a small flower-covered island). The hunters eventually give up in frustration, while Horatio decides he’s found a new home. Slow to start, Weigelt’s story becomes truly funny when the hunters enter the scene; the contrast between the deadpan text and Horatio’s absurd hiding places is pitch-perfect for preschoolers, who know only too well how to hide in plain sight. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7358-1067-2
Page Count: 28
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PLB 0-7358-1070-2 A very minimal imaginative effort starring Little Bunny, identified as an only child (although there are no parents commented upon or seen) who is feeling a bit lonely as he tries to go to sleep. He hops off to Squirrel’s house; Squirrel readily invites him in, but proves to be a midnight snacker who makes too much noise with his acorns. Little Bunny tries Skunk’s house, but there is a minor accident of the aromatic kind, so Little Bunny moves on. At Porcupine’s a few errant quills send him packing; at Bear’s, the snoring can be registered on the Richter scale; at Owl’s, lights burn into the night as Owl feeds his keen intelligence. Owl’s words of wisdom: “Just go back home where you belong.” Little Bunny does, and falls asleep. Readers probably already know that there is no place like home, but the other messages—that friends are a bother, that it’s better to be lonely, that individual quirks cannot be accommodated—will be new. Gorbachev’s illustrations are great, colorful scene-setting tableaux, owing more than a nod to Richard Scarry. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7358-1069-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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