Adventures of Maxine: Tales of a Lady Groundhog

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Maxine is a groundhog who lives with her husband, George, and their
children, Simon and Sarah, on a farm near Maxwell, Ontario. Although
Maxine’s albino cousin in Wiarton gets a lot of media attention every
February 2, Maxine is in no way a less remarkable rodent. Humans and
groundhogs coexist as friends on the farm they share. The human even
gives Maxine a small radio so that she can have something to listen to
when she is not hibernating in winter. In the warmer months, Maxine
allows the humans to take her to such nearby towns as Markdale and
Singhampton so that she can look up long-lost relatives. Intrigued by
her human friend’s notebook, Maxine teaches herself to read so that
she can write a family history and the odd (very odd) short story.
Eventually, Maxine rediscovers her great-aunt Charlotte, who is a
fountainhead of choice family gossip.

“Believing in Maxine is as easy as believing in purple dinosaurs,”
says the book cover. The good news is that Maxine the groundhog, unlike
some purple dinosaurs, doesn’t make adults want to reach for a
shotgun. This book is a pleasure to read for those of all ages. The
concept of a talking family of woodchucks is evocative of Beatrix Potter
but without the dated, priggish overtones. Anderson’s droll sense of
humor and deft portrayal of rural family relationships are refreshing,
original, and timeless. Highly recommended.