The Secret of the First One Up

Kindergarten-Grade 2-When Lila, a young groundhog, objects to going to sleep for the winter, Uncle Wilbur tells her to rest so that she can try to be the first one to wake up in the spring and discover a big secret. She is indeed the first groundhog to awaken and quickly runs up the tunnel and outdoors, where she is greeted by all of the animals that do not hibernate and learns from them how important her shadow is. Lovely, warm illustrations, created with gouache, colored pencils, and acrylics, depict the groundhog household as well as a variety of winter animals. A short note on Groundhog Day is appended. This book can be used for holiday celebrations or as an addition to a storytime or unit on hibernation. —-SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL