Perfectly Martha
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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 in addition to being attractive, funny, and entertaining, the Martha books offer an opportunity for children to explore point of view. Since the title character can speak, she shares her thoughts and observations about both the canine and the human world, often with interesting insight.
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I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)
What's the story?
Martha, the alphabet soup talking dog, is suspicious of Otis Weaselcraft, owner of the Perfect Pup Institute. His Three-Step Training Program turns fun-loving, flea-scratching dogs into perfectly behaved, robo-dogs and Martha sets out to discover how. Kidnapped by Weaselcraft's assistant, Dr. Pablum, when he overhears her speaking, Martha suddenly finds herself on the inside of the institute.
There she discovers that Weaselcraft is attaching Robo Rover Brain Blocker microchips to the inside of the dogs' collars. Martha bribes Dr. Pablum to plant a microchip on the collar of Otis Weaselcraft and then she puts Weaselcraft through his own series of obedience commands, thus exposing his dastardly scam. With the microchips removed, all of the dogs revert to their adorably pesky selves.
Is it any good?
This latest adventure is as fresh and entertaining as the first. This is the sixth in Meddaugh's series of Martha books that began with Martha Speaks which was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book in 1992. She has maintained her high standard throughout the series with lively, deadpan hilarious, watercolor illustrations, snappy dialogue, cartoon bubble wisecrack commentary, and clever story lines.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about point of view and different perspectives. Do you think a dog might see the world differently than you do? How? If your pets could talk, what do you think they would say to you?
Book details
- Author: Susan Meddaugh
- Illustrator: Susan Meddaugh
- Genre: Picture Book
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Children's Books
- Publication date: April 17, 2004
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 7
- Number of pages: 32
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