Common Sense Media Review
By Tracy Moore
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Lively talking-dog adventure fosters vocabulary, compassion.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
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 :
- Illustrator : Jamie White
- Genre : For Beginning Readers
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Book Characters , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Animals , Friendship
- 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
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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