One of my favorite parts of teaching kindergarten is all of the new experiences we get to share with our students. Kindergarteners who are in the school setting for the first time might not know about the tradition of Groundhog Day yet! This makes it so fun to spend some time learning about Groundhog Day together as a class. In this post, I’m going to share some of the best Groundhog Day books for kindergarten that will help you share this holiday with your students.

6 of the Best Books for Groundhog Day
These are some of my favorite books to read aloud to students in the days leading up to Groundhog Day. They’re also a fun addition to Groundhog Day lesson plans. These books include nonfiction books that teach about the tradition as well as fictional stories that include a bit of Groundhog Day fun.
1. Groundhog Day! by Gail Gibbons
Groundhog Day! by Gail Gibbons is great for introducing this tradition to your students. Gail Gibbons is my go-to for illustrated non-fiction text. She does a great job of balancing the facts of nonfiction text and the engaging illustrations that are more common in fiction books.

In this book, students can learn about the historical background of Groundhog Day. This can seem like an odd tradition when students hear about it for the first time! This book does a great job of explaining where the tradition came from.
2. Groundhogs! by Hope Aicher
Since Gail Gibbons uses illustrations for her nonfiction books, I like to include another option that provides actual photographs. This is the case with learning about groundhogs. Groundhogs! by Hope Aicher is a great nonfiction option that gives students the chance to learn more about groundhogs.

Students love to learn about animals and groundhogs are no exception! They will enjoy learning about where groundhogs live, what they like to eat, and more. I appreciate the simplicity of the facts in this book because they’re kid-friendly and engaging for young students.
3. GroundHug Day by Anne Marie Pace
In GroundHug Day by Anne Marie Pace, Moose wants to throw a Valentine’s Day party for his animal friends. The only problem is that Groundhog might not be able to come if he sees his shadow on Groundhog Day. They spend the book trying to find a way to keep Groundhog out of his burrow, thinking that he’s afraid of his shadow.

Students always love the fun twist at the end of the story, when the group is ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day but another animal friend is now holed up. This adorable story sparks some great conversations about how to help friends feel more included.
4. Substitute Groundhog by Pat Miller
Substitute Groundhog about a groundhog that woke up feeling sick on the day before Groundhog Day. Groundhog only has one day to secure a substitute groundhog for this important day! After a fruitless search for a substitute, an unexpected critter from out of town saves the day. But when Groundhog is disappointed by the additional weeks of winter, the substitute groundhog has another solution! This book is a bit of a longer story, but it’s full of fun opportunities to stop and have students make predictions about what will happen next.

5. Groundhog’s Dilemma by Kristen Remenar
In this story, Groundhog has seen his shadow and declared that there will be six more weeks of winter. Half of the animals are thrilled and the other half are disappointed. Groundhog feels badly about this, especially when the animal friends start trying to influence his decision for the next year. His calendar becomes packed with invitations from his friends that were looking for another opportunity to plead their case for either a longer winter or early spring.
Unfortunately, Groundhog says yes to all of his friends’ requests and doesn’t know what to do when Groundhog Day rolls around! This predicament is always interesting for young students to discuss and it teaches important lessons about telling the truth and friendship.
6. Ten Grouchy Groundhogs by Kathryn Heling
Ten Grouchy Groundhogs by Kathryn Heling uses engaging rhymes to tell the story of ten groundhogs that are slowly leaving their den. When it’s down to just one lonely groundhog, he leaves the den to see where everyone is. They are startled by their shadows and end up back in the den for a much-needed rest. Since students have had a chance to learn about groundhogs and the significance of shadows, they’ll be more likely to understand the ending of this book! It’s a great way for them to make text-to-text connections.
This book is also perfect for counting practice and making predictions since students can think about how many groundhogs will be left when you turn to the next page. The story is also full of great vocabulary that gives you the opportunity to explore synonyms as well as adjectives.
Take a Closer Look at These Groundhog Day Books
If you’d like to look inside some of these books, be sure to check out this video!
Groundhog Day Craft for Kindergarten
Read alouds can serve as a great starting point for writing activities in kindergarten! Students have just listened to an engaging story with new vocabulary and are eager to share what they’ve heard. Since writing is just talking put down on paper, you can channel this excitement to talk about the story into a writing activity.

The best part is you can also pair the writing activity with a craft to make it even more engaging! I have a fun groundhog writing craftivity in the Kindergarten Writing Toolbox. This monthly membership is full of seasonal writing activities that your students will love!
Save These Groundhog Day Books for Kindergarten
Be sure to save this post so you can come back to it later! Just add the pin below to your favorite kindergarten board on Pinterest. You’ll be able to quickly find these read aloud ideas when you’re working on your Groundhog Day lesson plans.
