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Title: Story of Punxsutawney Phil, "the Fearless Forecaster" (Adventures of Punxsutawney Phil) by Julia Moutran, Marsha Lewis Dubnansky ISBN: 0-9617819-0-4 Publisher: Literary Pubns Pub. Date: 01 January, 1987 Format: Paperback List Price(USD): $10.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4 (1 review)

Rating: 4
Summary: Punxsutawney Phil and friends settle down for the winter...
Comment: This is not really the story of how Punxsutawney Phil became the world's most famous prognosticator about when winter ends each year, but rather it is all about what happens to groundhogs each winter. Author Julia Spencer Moutran has constructed one of those books where young students will not even know they are learning as they enjoy the story, which is divided into two parts. First we have "Meet Punxsutawney Phil, the Famous Groundhog," who with his mate Philomena and his cousin Barney is busy preparing for winter. You see, groundhogs do much more than just wish for winter to end. Moutran's story combines fiction with nature, so even if you have the fanciful idea of Phil picking out which color leaves he will use to color the bedroom this year (scarlet instead of orange), the story is still grounded in the actual behavior of groundhogs. The second part of the book is "The Winter at Gobbler's Knob," where Phil, Philomena and Barney head their burrow and a long winter's nap. When February 2nd finally arrives Phil goes out to see if it is spring yet. What I liked most about this book was that Phil looks at much more than his shadow to make his determination. Young readers will learn that even the natural instincts of animals have more to do with science than with magic. This Punxsutawney Phil is not the media celebrity who everyone pays attention to on February 2nd, but a more realistic creature who spends more time thinking about starting a family with Philomena the next spring than he does being a "Fearless Forecaster." The illustrations by Marsha Lewis do a nice job of blending the two worlds of nature and fiction in her series of ink drawings, which always contain something red.

Note to teachers and parents: although this book is an obvious choice to read to youngsters each year when Groundhog Day rolls around, you might considering reading the parts up to where the groundhogs go to sleep in the late fall/early winter. Students can be reminded from time to time that Phil and his friends are still fast asleep and prepare them for February 2nd when Phil checks out what is happening in the world above. In the back of this book there are a series of Punxsutawney Phil Trivia Cards that can be used to test how much readers have learned about the habits of groundhogs (e.g., "What are two other common names for groundhogs?" Please read the book for the answers if you do not already know).