Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather

by Bruce Koscielniak

Geoffrey Groundhog has become a local celebrity for successfully predicting how long winter will last. Everyone awaits his prediction each February 2, when he emerges from his burrow to look for his shadow. But Geoffrey’s fame has grown out of control—and so has the commotion surrounding his burrow! With television lights and cameras crowding him, he can’t even see the ground, much less his shadow. How will he make his spring prediction? How will anyone know if they should wax their surfboards or their skis?

Genres: Picture Books, Holiday, Childrens, Storytime, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Bruce Koscielniak is the author and illustrator of several books for children; he is also a musician who has played the violin and jazz guitar for many years. He lives in the Berkshires region of Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here’s a good story to turn to for Groundhog Day!

An entertaining tale and lively pictures, it’s a book sure to please your kids!

Ages: 3 - 8

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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[Alyssa Flanagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather
Author: Bruce Koscielniak
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 1998
Number of Pages: 32

Summary: Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather is a great book to use on Groundhog’s Day. The book is about a groundhog who doesn’t really like that he has to predict the weather. Then one year the town makes a huge deal about Groundhog’s Day. They have so many advertisements around the town as well as making sure that the morning is broadcasted live. However, on the morning of Groundhog’s Day Geoffrey forgets to wake up and when he does he comes out of the ground so quickly they can’t tell if he’s seen his shadow or not. The book turns into a funny story about how the town isn’t sure how to react without knowing if there will be six more weeks of winter or not. This is a great read aloud that will get your students to laugh!

Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: Kindergarten- 3rd Grade
Lexile Level: 475-500
GR Level: K
Teaching Ideas (with Common Core Standards):
An idea to use with this book would be to have students pick if they think that groundhogs should have their own holiday or not. The students will need to pick whether or not they believe a groundhog should have a holiday named after itself or not. The students will then need to write a paragraph on their opinion and try to persuade the reader to believe their opinion is the right opinion. After the students create their writing piece they could share their writing to the class.

W.1.1- Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure.
SL.1.1b- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges.

[Todd]

In this book, Geoffery the groundhog came out of his burrow to see if Spring was coming after his mother told him to look for his shadow. When he did not see his shadow, he ran down to the newspaper to tell them that spring was on it's way. It came as predicted, making the while town interested in what the weather report was going to be next Feb. 2. As he woke up that morning, cameras and people surrounded him and he wasn't able to see his shadow. Will Geoffrey be able to predict the weather or will he leave the town confused? Read to find out!
I liked the book, as it brings attention to the tradition of groundhog day and it would make for a really great book to tell on that holiday.
If I used this book in a classroom, it would probably be on groundhog day, but lessons that could be learned from it is that it's ok to ask for help and don't take what you have for granted.

[Emma Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is Geoffrey's responsibility to predict the weather every year. He does well at it until one year he becomes overwhelmed by all the pressure and doesn't know what he sees. What will happen when Geoffrey doesn't know what to predict?

I liked this book. I think it was very cute and would be very entertaining for young kids. I also really enjoyed the details in the illustrations.

I would use this on Groundhog Day as a read aloud.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about a groundhog whose reputation gets blown out of proportion after accurately making a weather prediction. It was cute for what it was, but I was honestly hoping for more actual meteorology. Groundhog Weather School was a better pick for us.

[Liz Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love a book where mom saves the day. :)

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better kid books that I read to my son. Although the illustrations aren't that neat and pretty, we both enjoyed it.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story to read on Groundhog's Day! Aren't moms great....

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really quite fun. I love the details, esp. in the scene of the shops on Main St. And the satire. I think it must be for grade-school children rather than tots, though. LFL find.

[Anneke Alnatour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice enough, they enjoyed it!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather by Bruce Koscielniak – Perfect for Groundhog Day! Happy Reading!

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute book that entertains and explains what Groundhog Day is about.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can always call your mom!

'Tis the season . . . Groundhog Season!

[M.M. Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh how we wait for the groundhog to predict the weather! We need to know, don't we? This adorable book features Geoffrey the groundhog who has become famous in his town of other animals. One day though, he oversleeps and all chaos happens.

I loved how the author made Geoffrey an instant celebrity complete with posters, signs, TV crews, and even the clothes he wears. Apparently being a famous celebrity once a year is hard work and certainly must be done right.

The author illustrated this book in cartoon-ish style with muted watercolors.

This book was a fun little twist on the crazy annual tradition. What is even better is how he ends up predicting the weather at the end. I will leave that for you to discover.

Awesome book that gets 4 stars from me.

Disclosure: I purchased this book for my own collection. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Naila Moon

[Megan MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this book in my first grade class on Groundhog Day. The story explains how the groundhog predicts the weather in a way that's easy for young children to understand, but then Geoffrey Groundhog sleeps in and misses Groundhog Day!? Oh no! The kids were so into the book and it was a good way for them to make predictions also. I liked the book and it was very interesting and kept the children engaged the whole way through. After I read the book, we tied it in with a groundhog activity. Good read!

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining story about the ability of the groundhog to actually predict the weather, but also somewhat about the intrusion of the media, who obsess over the latest fad or hottest topic. The narrative is fun to read aloud and we liked the newspaper articles that were part of the story. The illustrations are colorful and cartoonish and complement the story nicely. Our girls loved the advertisements featuring groundhog, while he was blissfully asleep and unaware of his fame. We enjoyed reading this book together.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book to read for Groundhog day (or anytime of year) Geoffrey pops up and predicts the weather for his friends and community and that year he was right... so the next year when Feb 1st rolls around everyone gets ready for the next day with cameras and crowds etc to see if Geoffrey sees his shadow or not. BUT he oversleeps and then when he pops up because of everyone around him he can't tell if he can see his shadow or not! So everyone is disappointed in him... BUT he knows someone that can tell him so he calls his Mama 'cause he learnt to predict the weather from HER!

[Leeanna Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geoffrey Groundhog uses his shadows appearance to predict the weather and that lets everyone know whether spring is coming or not. One day, he oversleeps and can't tell if spring is near or if they have six more weeks of winter to go through. Everyone is confused and pressures him to make up his mind. He finally solves the problem and makes everyone happy.

I liked this book because it was a fun story to go along with Groundhog Day.

I would use this book to teach my students about Groundhog's day and as a fun book to read to them on that day.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book about Groundhog's Day. It was entertaining and a good read if you're talking about predicting the weather or Groundhog's Day. The kids I watch are learning about clouds and predicting the weather and then Groundhog's Day was then, I thought it was an appropriate time to teach it, when there is a superstition about a groundhog deciding the next 6 weeks of weather. I think it's a Level 2 book, but very cute story.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explained what groundhog day was about, but explained it from the groundhogs point of view. I liked how this book explained what groundhog day is and how it gave the perspective from the groundhog. The author also used other animals as the reporter and the townspeople.

Activity- Have the students be the news reporters and be on the news to present whether or not the groundhog saw his shadow.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Geoffrey having to predict whether there is going to be 6 more weeks of winter or if spring is coming. When he comes out the second time though there are so many cameras and people he can't see his shadow but is still expected to predict the weather. This would be a good book to introduce a weather topic.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the Groundhog Day genre is pretty light on compelling reads. Who thought up this ridiculous holiday??!!!! Read this to grade 1 and they truly didn't get it. A groundhog feeling the pressure of having to predict the weather. Me: "Do you know what a groundhog is?" Grade 1: "It's a pig that lives under the ground." Enough said.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are really good. This is one of those books where you could spend a few minutes on each picture looking around and reading things or looking for clues for the story. I would use this book in my classroom to read as a read aloud on groundhogs day. This would be used for a great writing prompt or discussion on if the students think he saw his shadow or not.

[Hannah O'Hearn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Geoffrey Groundhog realizes that predicting the weather on Groundhog day is not as easy had he thought. When he oversleeps on Groundhog day and doesn't know if he saw his shadow, no body knows what to do.
This book was okay. It has kind of a fun story, but I don't think there was anything very special about it. In a classroom I might use it as a fun read for Groundhog day.

[T Crockett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think we read this 4 times in one day, including two times back to back at the request of the 5 yr old. The pictures are full of funny details. The new reader loved making out all the words in the pictures (advertisements etc) while I read to the group. Even the oldest kids (11) laughed.

[Kelsey Nauert]

Geoffrey has trouble predicting the weather. His mother helps him out. This book would be appropriate for Groundhog's Day.

[Shannon Linville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather

Author: Bruce Koscielniak

Level: Grades 1-2

My Unit of Instruction it Supports: Shadow

Other Possible Topics: Seasons (Spring)

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be good to read to your class around Groundhogs day.

[Mandy Robek · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun story to share, students enjoyed it.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Geoffrey correctly predicts the weather one year, the town goes crazy waiting for his latest forecast. Hilarity ensues!

(Flip a coin, people. It's just as accurate.)