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1.31.26 - Part 1 · Children's Hour

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Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to radioi's Children's Story Hour. As a reminder,
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RADIOI is a reading service intended for people who are
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blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
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read printed materials. Today we will be reading from various
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children's books about a special day that comes around in February,
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and that is Groundhog Day. Your reader today is Patty
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and we're going to start with the book simply called
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Groundhog Day. This book was written by Margaret McNamara and
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illustrated by Mike Gordon. The publisher is Simon Spotlight, an
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imprint of Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Division, and the
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copyright date is two thousand and six. On the cover
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of this book is a picture of several children, and
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we know their first graders at the Robin Hill School
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and they are looking out the window from their first
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grade class. Their teacher is Missus Connor. So let's go
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with this book. One morning, Missus Connor wrote a poem
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on the blackboard. If the sun shines bright on Groundhog Day,
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the snow will swirl untail it is May. If the
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snow blows hard on Groundhog Day, the sun will shine
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before it is May. The illustrations for this poem show
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Missus Connor standing at the blackboard and her children in
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her class are seated at their day and they're watching
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her carefully. Continuing. Today, class is February second, said Missus Connor.
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Winter began six weeks ago. Winter will end six weeks
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from now. We are halfway through winter. The illustration shows
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Missus Connor pointing out a calendar and it's mounted on
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the wall, and a date is circled on this calendar
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of February second, and the other pictures on the wall
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are special things that also happen in February, like Valentine's
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Day and President's Day. But today Missus Connor is going
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to be talking about Groundhog Day, and all the children
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are standing around looking at the pictures that she has
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posted on the wall. Continuing, But what is Groundhog Day?
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Asked Eonna. Jamie raised his hand. If on this day,
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Jamie said, a groundhog can see its shadow, we will
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have six more weeks of winter. But if a groundhog
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cannot see the shadow, then spring will come soon. The
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illustrations for this show Jamie standing in front of us
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the class, giving this wonderful explanation. All the other first
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graders in the classroom are seated at their desks and
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they're listening to him continuing. That is strange, said Michael. Strange,
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but fun, said Missus Connor. Missus Connor set a small
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cage on her desk. Is that a groundhog, asked Hannah. No,
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said Becky. That is a hamster. His name is Chester,
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said missus Connor. He will be our ground hog today.
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The illustration shows Missus Connor setting a cage on her desk,
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and inside is a very small brown and white animal,
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and this animal is a hamster. All the children are
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very interested and they're gathered around the cage looking in
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at Chester, the hamster. Missus Connor took Chester to the window. Sill.
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Chester will see his shadow for sure, said Reza. I
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do not want any more winter, said Emma. Missus Connor
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opened the door to Chester's cage. Chester looked up and sniffed.
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Chester slipped out of his cage. He looked around. No shadow,
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cried Katie. No more winter, said Emma. Oh, Chester is
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not always right, said missus Connor. But that year bright,
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that bright sunny year, he was. And this last illustration
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shows the children outside on a beautiful sunny spring day.
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So that's the ending of the first book we're going
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to read, called Groundhog Day. Now let's read another book.
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This one is called Substitute Groundhog. It was written by
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Pat Miller and illustrated by Kathy Ember. It was published
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by Albert Whitman and Company, and the the copyright date
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is two thousand six. The day before Groundhog Day, Groundhog
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woke up sick. His muscles ached and his throat hurt.
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Groundhog felt so awful he went to see doctor Owl.
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You have a bad case of flu. You do, said
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doctor Owl. You need hot clover, soup and bed rest
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for two days? How many, asked Groundhog? Two? Two looted
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doctor Owl. But Groundhog Day was tomorrow. Groundhog couldn't let
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every one down because he was too sick to do
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his job. He tried to think of something. The illustration
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on this page shows Groundhog sitting on a table in
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the doctor's office, and doctor Owl, wearing a white coat
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and bearing a stethoscope around his neck, talks to Groundhog
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about having flew Groundhog looks very sad. Continuing on his
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way home to bed, Groundhog passed the Heidi Hole diner.
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He saw want ads from all the neighborhood animals tacked
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to a nearby tree. Skunk was looking for a roommate again.
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Mister and missus Duck were returning north and had their
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nest for rent. I know what I'll do, Groundhog thought,
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I'll advertise for a substitute groundhog. So now we see
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an illustration of the note that groundhog has tacked to
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the trunk of a large tree, and the note says
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weather teller wanted no experience needed apply at Groundhog's hole
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February first, ten am, and it's signed thanks Groundhog. By
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ten o'clock a line of animals waited to try out. Great,
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said Groundhog with a sneeze. Surely one of you can
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do Groundhog Day for me. Mole was first, you have
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to go down in my hole. Groundhog told mole. It's
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pretty dark down there. No problem, said mole. My hole
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is even darker. The illustrations here show several animals lined
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up around ground Hog's hole in the ground. First in
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line is mole. All these animals are dressed up just
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like people would be. Mole has a hard hat on
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and overalls, and behind him is a bear, and then
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there's a squirrel and a badger and an a rabbit
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and other animals all lined up to speak with groundhog. Continuing,
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Mule got comfortable underground. Now come up and look for
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your shadow, groundhog shouted. Mole peeked over the edge. His
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little eyes squinted. Well, mole, what do you see? Mole
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spoke to a tree? Is that you groundhog? Groundhog blew
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his nose. Oh, this won't work. I need someone who
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sees well. I can see well, sa a voice from
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high overhead. Groundhog looked up and saw eagle. On this
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page we see an illustration of an eagle from up
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way up high in the sky, looking down and talking
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to groundhog. Continuing. Eagle swooped down from that mountain ledge Groundhog,
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I could see a bit of owl feather stuck in
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your fur. I'd say you have been to doctor owl recently. Wow,
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then surely you will have no trouble seeing your shadow,
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said groundhog. Climb down in the hole, and let's practice.
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Climb down, said eagle. He looked at the entrance to
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the hole. Will there be room down there to stretch
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my wings? He stretched them very wide, very wide. Groundhog
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rubbed his scratchy throat. This won't work. I need someone
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who sees well and is not bothered by small spaces.
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On this page, there's a wonderful illustration of the eagle
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spreading his wings from one end of the page to
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the other, and groundhog, holding his sore throat, is talking
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to eagle. It just won't work, continuing, Bear stepped up next.
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My own cave is snug and cozy. Great, said groundhog.
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Climb down and let's practice. This is perfect, yelled Bear
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from the hole. It's even more comfy than my own cave.
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Come out and take a look, called groundhog. There was
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no answer. Groundhog poked his head down below ground Bear,
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come look for your shadow. This illustration shows groundhog talking
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to Bear through the hole, and then when Bear didn't answer,
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he sticks his head down in the hole, trying to
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get his attention. The only answer was a deep, slow snore.
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Groundhog was frustrated. He needed a substitute who could see well,
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wasn't bothered by small spaces, and wouldn't fall asleep. On
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this page, we see Bear snuggled up in Groundhog's bed,
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snoring sound asleep, continuing, I can do it, I can
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do it. Let me try. Squirrel bounced to the front
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of the line. Okay, said Groundhog, go down in the hole,
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come back up and look your shadow. Squirrel lipped in wee.
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Then he popped her head back up. Then she popped
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her head back up. Ground Hog said, see your shadow. Oh,
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I forgot to look down, she went, She popped back up,
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She dropped back down. I keep forgetting to look, squirrel giggled.
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She popped up and down some more. This is fine,
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she said, But what groundhog needed was someone who would
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pop up and stay up. The illustrations here show the
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little gray squirrel jumping down in the hole and then
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popping back up with a smile on her face, looking around.
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And then she pops back down in the hole again,
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and then she pops back up again, and then she
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pops stays back, goes back down and back up again,
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continuing bye. Now ground hog was feeling even worse. He
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thought of his warm bed. Was he ever going to
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find a substitute? Howdy there, groundhog, how about giving me
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a chance? Upstepped a strange looking creature. My name is Armadillo.
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She said. You're not from around here, are you, asked groundhog. Nope,
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I'm from Texas, visiting my cousin badger, she said, But
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I can do this job. I live in a hole.
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I like small spaces. I see my shadow just fine,
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and I will pop up and stay up. And here
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we see an illustration of an armadillo. This armadillo, though,
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is wearing a bandana around her neck, a cowboy hat,
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and red and yellow cowboy boots. Continuing, Crownhog wasn't so sure.
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Armadillo was a stranger from far away. What did she
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know about the weather here? But she did have all
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the qualifications for the job. All right, said groundhog. Let's
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see how you do. Armadillo climbed down into Groundhog's hole.
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She poked her head up and looked around. Sure enough,
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she saw her shadow. If that happens tomorrow, tell folks
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that winter will drag on, said ground on. But if
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you don't see your shadow tomorrow, spring will come early.
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Got it, said Armadillo. The illustration here shows the two
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animals talking together. Armadillo come up out of Groundhog's hole,
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and groundhog is talking to Armadillo about the things that
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she must do tomorrow. Continuing, I think you're just the
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substitute I've been looking for, said groundhog. You're hired, thanks,
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said Armadillo. They shook paws, then Armadillo. Then Groundhog climbed
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down his hole into bed. He sipped warm clover soup.
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He plumped his pillows and tucked his sore self under
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the flannel quilt. This shows poured ground hog in his bed,
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with his soup and a mug, and his teddy bear
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by his side, and he's all snuggled up under his covers,
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ready to rest and get well. On his wall though,
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is a calendar with February second circled. The next morning,
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the animals gathered early to hear what Armadillo would say.
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It was cold and crisp as the sun peeked over
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the forest. Badger served hot chocolate, Squirrel bounced and cheered
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for Armadillo. Eagle flew high above the trees, Muddy mole
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looked sleepy, and bear was still in bed. The animals
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grew quiet as Armadillo poked her head up and carefully
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looked around. There on the ground, she saw the shadow
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of her tiny ears and pointy nose. Six more weeks
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of winter, she announced. On this illustration, we see all
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those animals gathered around groundhog's hole, and Armadillo has come
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up out of the hole, and we can see that
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she definitely sees her shoe shadow. Because it's a very
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sunny day. Armadillo dropped back into Groundhog's hole. Did you
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hear that, groundhog? Six more weeks of winter? Groundhog groaned
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from his bed. How you feeling, groundhog? Armadillo asked a
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little better, But I'd feel a lot better if it
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was spring already, Groundhog said, Spring already, asked Armadillo. Say
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that gives me an idea. Armadillo found groundhog's suitcase. Get
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your gear together, groundhog. She said, it's already spring in Texas.
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You can come home with me, really, said groundhog. He
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imagined himself rolling in the warm grass instead of sneezing
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through six more wheaks of cold, you bat, said Armadillo.
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Groundhog jumped from his bed. He grabbed his teddy bear
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and his toothbrush and tossed them into his suitcase. Here
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we see a wonderful illustration of groundhog packing his suitcase
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and Armadillo sitting on a chair, just waiting for him
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to be ready to leave and head to Texas. Armadillo
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still wearing that bandana around her neck, cowboy hat on
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her head, and those red and yellow cowboy boots on
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her back feet. And here's our last page. I've always
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wanted to see Texas. Do you think they have cowboy
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hats in my size? Asked groundhog. Sure, as Texas has
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a lone star, said Armadillo. Together they walked through the
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cold to the bus station, and their shadows followed them
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there all the way. And that's the ending of this
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story called Substitute Groundhog. And now let's learn a little
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bit more about groundhog Day. So I'm going to read
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another book to you. It's nonfiction and it's simply entitled
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Groundhog Day. It's written and illustrated by Gail Gibbons, published
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by Holiday House with a copyright day of two thousand
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and seven. Groundhog Day is celebrated on February second. Some
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people believe that on this day of the year, watching
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groundhogs can help predict when spring will come. When will
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spring begin? The date of February second is about the
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middle of the winter. Old say that if a groundhog
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sees its shadow on this date, there will be about
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six more weeks of winter. Those stories also say that
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if a groundhog doesn't see its shadow, spring will come early.
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The illustrations here show groundhog coming up out of its hole.
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Now there's snow all around the hole because it's February second,
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and groundhog pops up out of its hole, and on
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this illustration he sees his shadow. Groundhog Day grew out
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of old customs and beliefs. Some ancient people celebrated a
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midwinter festival in early February. Many people cleaned their houses
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in the areas where they live, getting ready for a
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new beginning the new spring season. Then, about fifteen hundred
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years ago, people in Europe began lighting candles in the
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early spring for a new religious celebration. This practice coincided
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with the older observances that celebrated the end of winter
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and the beginning of spring. The illustration here shows a
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lot of people and they're watching they're walking outside in
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the snow, but they're all holding candles that are lighted. Continuing,
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people had always thought that they could predict when spring
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would come by watching animals. They believed that if a
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hibernating animal awoke from its sleep in the beginning of
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February and saw its shadow, there would be several more
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weeks of winter. If the animal didn't see its shadow,
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spring would come soon. They watched animals such as hedgehogs, bears,
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and badgers. On this page there's a picture of bears,
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a picture of hedgehogs, and another one of badgers, and
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there's also a definition and it says to hibernate means
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to stop eating and go into a deep sleep during
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the winter. Continuing, when Europeans were coming to North America,
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some settled in Pennsylvania. They brought with them the tradition
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of predicting spring by watching animals. Many groundhogs lived in
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this region. Groundhogs are animals that hibernate. It seemed logical
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to choose groundhogs to predict when spring would come. Early
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in February, people watched groundhogs to find out whether they
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did or didn't see their shadows. This custom became a
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yearly celebration in many places in Clooney, including the town
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of punk Satawi, Pennsylvania. So on this page we see
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a map and it shows the state of Pennsylvania and
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in on the map there's a little red dot writ
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in the center of the state and out beside it
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is the town of punk Satani, Pennsylvania. Then in eighteen
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eighty six, climber Freeze wrote in the town newspaper that
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February second would be called Groundhog Day. In Punk Satani,
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the special groundhog is always called Punk Satani Phil. There
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have been many funk Punk Satani Phils. Every year on
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February second, thousands of people show up at Gobbler's Knob,
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just outside Punk Satani to find out if Phil will
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see his shadow. High up on a stage, Phil is
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kept in a burrow under a fake tree stump. Town
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officials are up on the stage and at exactly seven
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twenty five am, Phil is taken out of his burrow
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and everyone cheers. There's an illustration here that shows many
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people gathered around a stage, and on that stage are
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some men dressed in a black coats and hats holding
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the groundhog up. Some of the people who are watching
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are holding signs in that they say we love Phil
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or Spring. Question mark continuing. If Phil sees his shadow,
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winter will be longer. If he doesn't see his shadow,
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spring will come sooner. The officials make it look as
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if Phil whispers to one of them whether or not
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he had seen his shadow. It's all pretend. Sometimes Phil
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is right, other times he is wrong. Lots of people
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think Groundhog Day is fun. A groundhog is a furry rodent.
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It is a mammal that can weigh between five and
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ten pounds. It usually grows to about twenty inches long
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and has a short tail and short legs. Many people
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think a groundhog is cute when it waddles round. Like
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other rodents such as mice, squirrels, and beavers, groundhogs have
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large front teeth that grow continuously to help wear them down.
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Groundhogs gnaw on, bite, and eat twigs and branches. Their
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diet also includes leaves, flowers, and berries. Here we see
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a picture of a groundhog and he's eating some berries.
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And there's also another definition that says a groundhog is
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also called a woodchuck. Groundhogs are found in parts of
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the United States in Canada, they live alone in burrows
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that they dig out with their sharp, curved front claws.
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Some burrows can be as deep as six feet and
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spread out more than thirty feet. Since they are prey
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to many animals, groundhogs stay close to home, usually near
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one of the entrances to their burrows. When outside their burrows,
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they may sit up straight with their front paws held
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tightly against their chest, eating and watching for any sign
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of danger. And here we see a cross section illustration
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of what a groundhog's burrow might look like. Two big
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holes spaced apart from each other, and then a burrow
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underground with different chambers a sleeping chamber, a resting chamber,
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a nesting chamber, a hibernating chamber, and a toilet chamber.
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So that explains how a groundhog digs his special burrow
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under the ground. This is all we have, all the
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time we have for today, so this concludes the story hour.
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Please join us. Next time is we'll read more stories,
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fables and fairy tales. And thank you again for listening.
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Your reader's been Patty, and we please stay. We hope
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you'll stay tuned for continuing programming on RADIOI