Groundhog Day

PreS-Gr 2-Groundhog Day offers basic facts in a simple format. A limited amount of historical background is included, but most of the focus is on Pennsylvania's famous Punxsutawney Phil. Full-color photos appear throughout, along with illustrations of the groundhog and his shadow. This title is a suitable choice for libraries needing easy-to-read holiday information. Schiller's book, which follows a class of children celebrating the 100th day of school, is less successful. Photographs show the students counting 100 items, making related art projects, and doing 100 jumping jacks during gym. Unfortunately, the narrative and the photos don't always mesh well. For example, the text states, "We put our handprints on a banner. There are 100 handprints. Can you count them?" The accompanying photo shows several children at work on a banner but nowhere near the requisite number of handprints. Better choices on this topic include Rosemary Wells's Emily's First 100 Days of School (Hyperion, 1999) and Margery Cuyler's 100th Day Worries (S & S, 2000).-Lisa Gangemi Kropp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.