The Bookish Calendar for April - Books and information for April birthdays, holidays, and special days

Dear Bookish Friends,

Here is the Bookish Calendar for April. I'm bringing it to you today, several weeks early, so that you have plenty of time to plan for days that interest you and the children in your lives. I know that this is particularly useful for those of you who are teachers, librarians, and homeschoolers. Many of the birthdays and special days on the calendar link to review pages for books that are associated with those birthdays and special days. For example, the Titanic sank on her maiden voyage on April 15th 1912. If you click on this entry in the April Bookish Calendar you will be taken to the page where reviews about this event can be found. 

*April is National Poetry Month (USA)

Please check out the TTLG Poetry Library to discover wonderful poetry titles. 

*April is National Garden Month (USA)

I have reviewed numerous books about gardens and gardens on my In The Garden feature

*April 3rd to 9th is National Library Week (USA)

Do visit my Books and Libraries feature. 

*April 5th to 9th is National Wildlife Week (USA)

*April 2nd is International Children's Book Day 

Do visit my Books and Libraries feature. 

*April 6th is National Bookmobile Day  (USA)

*April 10th is National Encourage a Young Writer Day (USA)

*April 14th is National Gardening Day (USA)

The In The Garden feature has many wonderful books about gardening.

*April 15th is World Art Day

The Art and Artists Feature is full of inspirational books that celebrate art.

*April 16th is National Librarian Day (USA)

*April 17th is International Haiku Poetry Day

There are several books about Haiku poems in the TTLG Poetry Library 

*April 22nd is International Mother Earth Day 

The Saving the Environment Feature contains many titles that will suit Earth Day

*April 23rd is World Book Night 

*April 27 is Tell a Story Day (USA, UK, and Scotland)

*April 28th is National Great Poetry Reading Day (USA)

*April 29th is National Arbor Day (USA) 

I have reviewed many books about trees. Please visit my Books about Trees feature.

*April 29th is International Dance Day

The World of Dance feature is full of books about dance and dancers.

*April 30th is National Poem in your pocket day (USA)

Groundhog Day and The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Thirty-Three

Happy Groundhog Day! For today's picture book I have a story about a groundhog who has a very unusual Groundhog Day.

Brownie Groundhog and the February Fox

Susan Blackaby

Illustrated by Carmen Segovia

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Sterling, 2011, 978-1-4027-4336-8

   It is the second of February, and Brownie the groundhog has come out of her burrow to see if she can see her shadow or not. As she stands on the snow, she looks down, and there, “stretched across the frosted field,” is her shadow. It looks as if there is going to be six more weeks of winter, and she is going to have to “Wait, wait, wait” for spring.

   Then, before she can do anything to save herself, a fox jumps on Brownie and he asks her to hold still because he wants to eat her for breakfast. Brownie is a very clever animal and she manages to put off the fox by telling him that it is too late for breakfast. He will have to wait for lunchtime.

   Brownie and the fox wander across the snow together. Brownie looks for signs of spring, while the fox tries to ignore his hungry stomach. Brownie knows full well that at lunchtime the fox is going to want to eat her. Somehow, she is going to have to find a way to save herself.

   In this wonderful picture book, we meet a groundhog who knows how to think on her feet, or rather on her paws. Children will laugh when they see what Brownie does to the poor fox, and how she turns a potential enemy into a friend.

   Paired with Carmen Segovia’s unique vintage looking illustrations, this story is a wonderful tale to read during cold February days when one is looking for signs of spring. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For those of you who don't live in the U.S., here is some information about Groundhog Day. Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly "see its shadow" and retreat back into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks.

Modern customs of the holiday involve celebrations where early morning festivals are held to watch the groundhog emerging from its burrow. In southeastern Pennsylvania, Groundhog Lodges (Grundsow Lodges) celebrate the holiday with fersommlinge, social events in which food is served, speeches are made, and one or more g'spiel (plays or skits) are performed for entertainment. The Pennsylvania German dialect is the only language spoken at the event, and those who speak English pay a penalty, usually in the form of a nickel, dime or quarter, per word spoken, put into a bowl in the center of the table.

The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Groundhog Day, already a widely recognized and popular tradition, received worldwide attention as a result of the 1993 film of the same name, Groundhog Day, which was set in Punxsutawney and featured Punxsutawney Phil.

The holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog. The holiday also bears some similarities to the medieval Catholic holiday of Candlemas. It also bears similarities to the Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic calendar, which is celebrated on February 1 and also involves weather prognostication

An early American reference to Groundhog Day can be found in a diary entry, dated February 5, 1841, of Berks County, Pennsylvania storekeeper James Morris:

Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.

For those of you who don't know what a groundhog is, they are large rodents belonging to the family of large ground squirrels known as marmots. They are also called woodchucks or land-beavers. They can weigh up to 9 pounds (4 kg)

Over the years I have reviewed several wonderful books about Groundhog Day. You can see these reviews on the TTLG Groundog Day Feature.

Happy Groundhog Day!

Every February 2nd Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his burrow in Pennsylvania to see if he can see his shadow or not. If he does see his shadow, then we are all in for six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't see his shadow then spring will arrive early this year. 

This morning Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, and we therefore have six more weeks of winter to look forward to. Some of you might be wondering what a groundhog is. Here is a little information: 

The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as a woodchuck or whistle-pig, or in some areas as a land-beaver, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Other marmots, such as the yellow-bellied and hoary marmots, live in rocky and mountainous areas, but the woodchuck is a lowland creature. It is widely distributed in North America and common in the northeastern and central United States. Groundhogs are found as far north as Alaska, with their habitat extending southeast to Alabama.

And what about Groundhog Day. What is this all about. How did it all begin?

Groundhog Day is an annual holiday celebrated on February 2. It is held in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day fails to see its shadow, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks. The holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog. The holiday also bears some similarities to the medieval Catholic holiday of Candlemas. It also bears similarities to the Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic calendar, which is celebrated on February 2 and also involves weather prognostication.

Modern customs of the holiday involve celebrations where early morning festivals are held to watch the groundhog emerging from its burrow. In southeastern Pennsylvania, Groundhog Lodges (Grundsow Lodges) celebrate the holiday withfersommlinge, social events in which food is served, speeches are made, and one or more g'spiel (plays or skits) are performed for entertainment. The Pennsylvania German dialect is the only language spoken at the event, and those who speak English pay a penalty, usually in the form of a nickel, dime or quarter, per word spoken, put into a bowl in the center of the table.

The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where crowds as high as 40,000 have gathered to celebrate the holiday since at least 1886. Other celebrations of note in Pennsylvania take place in Quarryvillein Lancaster County, the Anthracite Region of Schuylkill County, the Sinnamahoning Valley and Bucks County. Outside of Pennsylvania, notable celebrations occur in the Frederick and Hagerstown areas of Maryland, the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Woodstock, Illinois, and among the Amish populations of over twenty states and Canada. The University of Dallas in Irving,Texas has taken Groundhog Day as its official university holiday and organizes a large-scale celebration every year in honor of the Groundhog.

Groundhog Day received worldwide attention as a result of the 1993 film of the same name, Groundhog Day, which was set in Punxsutawney (though filmed primarily in Woodstock, Illinois) and featured Punxsutawney Phil. 

I have reviewed several wonderful picture books for children about Groundhog day. You can read these reviews here.