The Mudhog that Stole Groundhog Day
by
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This had been an especially hard winter. Blizzards had blown snow until it piled up on roads and front walks. Schools were closed for days at a time. Electricity had gone out. The mail truck had gotten stuck, and the tractor that came to pull it out got stuck, and nobody got mail for a week. Minnie Adam's car had slid off the road and she and her family had to walk three miles through snow drifts to get home. And Jason Langford's bird feeder froze, and his black capped chickadees had gone hungry. And Willie and Janis Graham's dog wouldn't go out in all that cold and pooped in the house. And Sam and Margaret Johnson's horse, Figgy, caught cold, and they had to wrap him up in blankets from their bed, and then they'd been so cold they couldn't sleep. And it was just the coldest, showiest winter on record.
The animals suffered, too. Monarca the butterfly. Her cocoon froze, and she wasn't sure she could ever get out. And the rabbit family had completely run out of food and had to eat snow. The Cedar-Tree squirrel family had to huddle with the Spruce-Tree squirrel family to keep warm even though they were mad at each other, and Uncle Root and Aunt Eartha were so tired of all the cold and snow they were grumpy and snapped at each other.
So it had been hard winter for everyone, and they all agreed that it was time for spring when Uncle Root stood outside his burrow hole to look for his shadow.
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About the Book
It had been an especially cold and hard winter for human and animals alike. It was the coldest, snowiest winter on record. A crowd was now anxiously gathered at the burrow hole of Uncle Root, the groundhog who each year foretold the fate of spring. If he saw his shadow, it meant six more weeks of winter. If he didn’t, the celebrations could begin. This year, Uncle Root just couldn’t bear to announce there would be six more weeks of winter.
Next door, Mudhog Morris watches the commotion, seething with anger. He is jealous of Uncle Root and the attention he gets this time of year. What does he know? Mudhog Morris decides to do something about it. But his actions have dire consequences for the entire community.
A picture book for children, The Mudhog that Stole Groundhog Day shares a tale about what happens when someone tells a lie.
About the Author
Jane Kopper Hilleary has seven children. She is the author of Fletcher and the Great Big Dog, a reward-winning picture book for children. Jane currently lives in Kirkland, Washington.