I’ve always been fond of Groundhog Day. Maybe because it’s an underdog (-hog?) of a U. S. holiday, its February 2nd date following the noble Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and preceding the excessively commercial Valentine’s Day. It also seems to hearken back to a time when people paid more attention to natural signs (right or wrong), and it was a matter of more direct concern if there were to be six more weeks of winter. Nice to remember in these days of climate control and Internet weather reports.
I was delighted, therefore, to stumble across two charming books about Groundhog Day, suitable for pre- and elementary-school children. The first, Gregory’s Shadow, is by Don Freeman, author and illustrator of the acclaimed stories of Corduroy the teddy bear. Gregory wakes up from hibernation ready to do his duty on Groundhog Day, but there’s one problem: he gets separated from his shadow, and needs to find it before the appointed hour. Despite feeling braver when his shadow is with him, Gregory ventures forth to find his friend. The story isn’t as captivating as the Corduroy tales, and the sketchy illustrations don’t have the impact of Corduroy’s scratchboard pictures, but the latter are exceptional. This is still a winsome book for the holiday.
The Big Snow, by Berta and Elmer Hader, Caldecott Medal Winner in 1949, is still one of the best books for young children about animals in winter. It has a certain charm (a baby rabbit nibbling carrot tops, mice dancing in the snow) without ever devolving into the cutesiness of so many animal books. As the animals ready themselves for winter, we see differences in how the various species prepare. Some collect food, some eat and prepare to hibernate, some fly south. Despite their preparations, however, a blizzard threatens to cut them off from needed food. An old man and woman in a nearby cottage come to the rescue by setting out crumbs and hay. Black-and-white pencil drawings alternate with full-color watercolors to create images both realistic and evocative.
Although the mother rabbit is called “Mrs. Cottontail,” there’s no “Mr. Cottontail” or any of the too-frequent anthropomorphizing of animal pairs into facsimiles of straight married couples. I assume the old man and the woman who lives with him are meant to be husband and wife, but that’s never made explicit. They could be an elderly brother and sister. The Big Snow is therefore a good choice for LGBT families who want fewer stories that overwhelm with representations of straight marriage.
Interestingly, one of the runners-up for the Caldecott Medal in 1949 was Blueberries for Sal, which shows Sal and her mother on a day of berry picking, without ever mentioning Sal’s father. It was one of my favorite books from childhood—I must have identified with the tomboyish Sal. Another recommended pick for same-sex couples (especially us gals) as well as single moms of all orientations, though its popularity through the years marks it as a good choice for anyone.
