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Martha Speaks: Shelter Dog Blues
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Martha Speaks: Shelter Dog Blues, part of the Martha Speaks series of chapter books, involves a pet who gets lost and ends up in a shelter. The experience is ultimately positive, but more appropriate for kids who already understand (or are ready for) the idea of pets being abandoned or running away, and the shelter and adoption process. Also, the Kindle version has a formatting issue -- the illustrations include text, as they would in a picture book, then that same text appears again on the following page in a different font, presumably to acquaint kids with the typical display of text in chapter books. But it may be confusing or distracting for some.
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What's the story?
Martha thinks she's got it pretty bad when she's forced to take a bath. But when her collar falls out the window and Martha darts after it, finding herself out on the streets and ultimately in the animal shelter, she realizes her definition of "bad" might have been a little bit premature. Making friends with the other shelter pets, she realizes just how lucky she is -- if only she can find her family again and tell them!
Is it any good?
With its comedy-of-errors humor and vibrant, cartoonish watercolor-and-ink drawings, this fun book engages and informs readers, offering lessons in gratitude, kindness, positivity -- and vocabulary. Martha the dog finds herself in all kinds of silly binds, usually of her own doing, but through her learning process, readers, too, learn how to navigate the world and act with decency.
Kids who like dogs will love imagining the possibilities of a talking dog, and parents can appreciate the intelligence and compassion displayed in these fun books. Bonus features include a vocabulary quiz at the end and tips on pet adoption.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about pet adoption. Do you have an adopted pet? If so, why did you choose to adopt a pet instead of buying one from the store? What are good reasons for both?
How do you think this chapter book compares with the the original Martha Speaks picture book? What's fun about Martha as a character?
Have you ever felt sorry for yourself, as Martha does? What helped you realize that things weren't so bad after all?
Book details
- Author: Susan Meddaugh
- Illustrator: Jamie White
- Genre: For Beginning Readers
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Book Characters, Brothers and Sisters, Cats, Dogs, and Mice, Friendship, Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Publication date: January 18, 2010
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 6 - 9
- Number of pages: 112
- Available on: Paperback, Hardback, Kindle
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.