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Type of bind: Paperback
EAN num: 9780395729526
ISBN number: 0395729521
Label: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 32
Printing Date: March 27, 1995
Publishing house: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books
Age index: Ages 4-8
Sale Popularity Level: 27097
Studio: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
When Helen Finney feeds alphabet soup to her dog, Martha, it goes straight up to her brain, and Martha begins to speak! But having a talking dog isn't always as much fun as it seems.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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Downing a bowl of alphabet soup the family dog comes up wordy in Susan Meddaugh's gently funny picture book. Friendly illustrations will soon have sympathetic kids relating their own version as Martha wears out her wonder with incessant chatter.
Rated by buyers -
I bought this book as a gift for a 5 year old, but found the humour to be a bit more sophisticated. My 9 year old son (& dog lover) found it to be hilarious. It will become a favorite gift of mine to give children in the 7-9 age bracket.
Rated by buyers 
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Kids love the idea of a talking dog, and Martha's story is amusing, as she develops the ability to speak after eating alphabet soup and then drives her family mad with her nonstop talking (except during her own televisioin shows, of course). It's unfortunate that the family eventually collectively yell at Martha to "SHUT UP!" but we just talk about the inappropriateness of the family's response, even when they're frustrated. Eventually they resolve the situation when Martha proves to be brave, intelligent and lucky during an encounter with a burglar. A bit loopy but kids love it/
Rated by buyers -
At very first I thought this was a good book, and was going to give it five stars, but then there was a big SHUT UP which wasn't really appropriate. And then there was a burglar which might be scary for kids, but it also taught you to dial 911 if something bad like the burgler happens, and it showed that Martha felt bad after her family yelled SHUT UP to her, so it kind of taught you not to yell SHUT UP, so I put it back up to 5 stars.
Rated by buyers -
Warning: By reading this book to your children you may be inadvertently encouraging them to force-feed their puppies alphabet soup. Creating a book that is as much comic strip as it is enjoyable picture book, Susan Meddaugh's enjoyable 1992 creation follows the adventures and misadventures of Martha the talking pup. After being fed a bowl of delicious alphabet soup, Martha, the family pet, begins talking in complete grammatically correct sentences. For the family, this new occurrence is initially a boon. Martha is able to explain all kinds of doggish mysteries, hitherto unexplained to humans. She answers the door to the pizza delivery girl, much to family's amusement. She amazes both family and friends. Unfortunately, there are downsides to owning a talking dog. Martha, once she learns how to dial the phone, is prone to ordering large quantities of barbecue beef. She doesn't understand such social niceties as not commenting on someone's appearance loudly in pubic (especially if that someone is fat). And she talks constantly about nothing at all. When the family finally proclaims that Martha's talking is too much, the humbled doggie falls into a deep depression and refuses to devour anymore alphabet soup. Fortunately the appearance of a nasty burglar in the home gives Martha the opportunity to save the day and reinstate herself as the family's favorite talking dog.
The book's an original, no question. Martha's constant chatter appears as speech balloons over her head. If you get this edition in hardback, I highly recommend that you flip to the author's photo on the back inside cover to see a picture of a dog that looks very much as if it might have been the inspiration for Martha's cuddly form. The illustrations are sweet and inticing and Martha says everything you'd expect a dog to say (if neutered). The double page spread of her blowing away the family with an incredibly long speech is particularly impressive. I suspect that if you were to read this book to your little one they would insist that you read every single word that pops out of Martha's mouth. All things considered, this might take some time so prepare to set aside some 20 minutes for a full and unabridged reading of the delightful "Martha Speaks". As for the use of the term, "shut up", (which the family yells at Martha when they canst takes it no more) this is left entirely up to the reader's discretion. If you live in a home where the phrase is considered impolite, you may wish to read it aloud from the book in a silly way, or simply disguise it as the less controversial "Be Quiet" (which I do not, personally, endorse). If this phrase is not considered impolite in your home, let rip and let go.
This is altogether a fine book and an amusing story. This is an excellent choice for those children interested in the intricacies of canine yabbering.
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