Gregory's Shadow - Hardcover

Freeman, Don

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670893285 ISBN 13: 9780670893287

Publisher: Viking Juvenile, 2000

Synopsis

When Gregory the Groundhog sees his shadow and runs away from it the day before Groundhog Day, he must find a way to overcome his fears in order to make his important appearance at the big event. 40,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author

Don Freeman was born in San Diego, California, in 1908. At an early age, he received a trumpet as a gift from his father. He practiced obsessively and eventually joined a California dance band. After graduating from high school, he ventured to New York City to study art under the tutelage of Joan Sloan and Harry Wickey at the Art Students' League. He managed to support himself throughout his schooling by playing his trumpet evenings, in nightclubs and at weddings.

Gradually, he eased into making a living sketching impressions of Broadway shows for The New York Times and The Herald Tribune. This shift was helped along, in no small part, by a rather heartbreaking incident: he lost his trumpet. One evening, he was so engrossed in sketching people on the subway, he simply forgot it was sitting on the seat beside him. This new career turned out to be a near-perfect fit for Don, though, as he had always loved the theater.

He was introduced to the world of children’s literature when William Saroyan asked him to illustrate several books. Soon after, he began to write and illustrate his own books, a career he settled into comfortably and happily. Through his writing, he was able to create his own theater: "I love the flow of turning the pages, the suspense of what's next. Ideas just come at me and after me. It's all so natural. I work all the time, long into the night, and it's such a pleasure. I don't know when the time ends. I've never been happier in my life!"

Don died in 1978, after a long and successful career. He created many beloved characters in his lifetime, perhaps the most beloved among them a stuffed, overall-wearing bear named Corduroy.

Don Freeman was the author and illustrator of many popular books for children, including Corduroy, A Pocket for Corduroy, and the Caldecott Honor Book Fly High, Fly Low.

From AudioFile

When Gregory Groundhog and his shadow are separated just before February 2, their need to find each other and provide the all-important weather report is acute. Each has an adventure-filled outing before he teams up to wow the assembled crowd about the possible early end of winter. Jim Weiss has a knack for enlivening a story with just the right touches of suspense, animal voices, and judicious pacing. Listeners come away feeling as if they've been right there when Gregory's shadow talks with Scarecrow, when the shadowless Gregory trudges dejectedly to the barn, and when the farmer's feast is shared. Young listeners will enjoy Groundhog Day lore from a new perspective. A.R. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Viking Juvenile
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0670893285
• ISBN 13: 9780670893287
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 32