Tale of the Groundhog's Shadow (1956)

[Music] many years ago when the United States was still a new country people lived in log houses they had built in the forest on cold winter evenings children often would ask their mother to tell a story yes tell a story please what kinds of stories did mother tell well because these people lived in the woods they saw many wild animals and they told many tales about wild animals the story we're going to hear is something like many old old stories told in Pioneer cabins it's called a tale of of the Groundhog's Shadow now this is not a true story but we like to pretend that wild animals can talk and think even when we know they can't our story takes place in the Deep Woods on a cold day in February do you see that Big Hollow log it's the winter home of a raccoon let's look inside raccoon is just waking up from a deep sleep he hasn't been asleep for just one night he's been asleep all winter since the first deep snow fell that was months ago now he's awake and he's thinking what fun it will be to play in the warm spring sunshine yes raccoon was expecting to find warm spring weather but what does he find winter wherever he looks there is snow and he's cold what should he do should he go back to sleep or should he stay awake till spring really comes then he has an idea maybe Badger will know if spring is on the way now raccoon knows a likely place to find Badger and sure enough there's Badger at his favorite old stump hunting for something to eat it's a little risky to bother Badger when he's eating but raccoon does want to know if spring is coming but Badger isn't glad to see him not at all and he doesn't want raccoon hunting around his stump hold on Badger says raccoon keep your old stump I wasn't trying to steal your food I only wanted food but raccoon does want food he hasn't had anything to eat all winter not since last fall when he stuffed himself with food to last all winter long now he's hungry raccoon eats both plants and animals of course with snow on the ground there aren't any tender young plants to eat but he has found some insects he has stuck his paw in among them and now he's eating them but raccoon would like to eat some fresh green shs when will Spring be here maybe Beaver knows but where is he is he down here in his home no is he in the water it's so hard to see him there he is oh Beaver says raccoon wait a minute I want to talk to you Beaver would rather just keep on swimming and hunting for water plants to eat but he decides that maybe raccoon has something interesting to tell him so he goes over to Raccoon and says what do you want I want to know when spring will be here don't ask me go find groundhog he's the one that can tell where can I find him well now I haven't seen him all winter you'll just have to hunt for his hole it won't be easy to find ground Hogs hole raccoon wonders if he'll ever find out whether spring is nearly here what's the matter with that raccoon thinks Beaver doesn't he know how on a certain day in February groundhog can tell by his shadow whether spring is nearly here not far away porcupine is climbing his favorite tree he's been down looking for food too but all he found was snow all the animals are waiting for spring raccoon is still looking for Groundhog's hole and porcupine is climbing higher and higher Here Comes raccoon and do you know where he is do you know who's high up in this tree of course porcupine now he's reached the branch where he likes to stay he can eat the bark of the tree and he can sleep here and wait for spring raccoon has seen porcupine and he's calling to him there's no answer raccoon calls louder but porcupine just pretends he doesn't hear so raccoon will go away and not bother him raccoon doesn't like it a bit but porcupine just lies there so raccoon goes away feeling that nobody wants to help him and wishing he' had never stepped out of his nice warm log but wait there's another animal here raccoon can smell it a skunk of course but he's very cross and he says to Raccoon go away and leave me alone this makes raccoon very angry and the first thing you know they're having a big argument about what about whether or not skunk is going to tell raccoon where groundhog lives it's a silly argument isn't it I don't know what all the fuss is about about says skunk spring is bound to come it does every year but if you have to see groundhog he lives under a big stump just beyond but raccoon hurries away without waiting for skunk to finish he's so sure he knows the way so sure until suddenly he realizes he's lost and he wishes he had not been so impatient with skunk there's nothing for raccoon to do but keep hunting now here's the stump where groundhog lives skunk knew where it was but look at raccoon going right past it fortunately this is the day in February for groundhog to wake up and come out of his hole he sees raccoon and calls him where are you says raccoon over here says groundhog have you come to find out if spring is here yes please tell me please very well says groundhog I'll look for my shadow if I see it there will be six more weeks of cold winter weather but if I don't see it then spring may be here oh I hope you don't see it no Shadow so if we look around us we should see the first signs of spring and sure enough here are some new green leaves poking up through the melting snow and here is a robin a sure sign of [Music] spring well says groundhog I'll go back down into my hole for a short nap of just a few days and I'll go look for a place to build a nest says Robin thank you groundhog says raccoon now it won't be long before I can have a good spring dinner and that's the end of our tale of the groundhog Shadow a story like the ones that people told long ago yet even today people pretend that the groundhog can tell if spring is here that's because it's fun to pretend would you like to pretend that you're living in the long ago when people told stories about animals could you make up your own story about some of the animals we've seen why don't you try it [Music]