''Martha Speaks'' is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Susan Meddaugh and published by Houghton Mifflin in September 1992. It is the first in a series of six books featuring a young girl named Helen Finney and her pet dog named Martha.

Plot

The book follows the adventures of the dog Martha, who could speak after being fed alphabet soup. The family complains about Martha being talkative and she stops eating her soup. When a

burglar Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving trespass to land, the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal ...

breaks into the family's house, Martha was unable to call for help. When the burglar gives her alphabet soup, Martha calls the police and the family appreciates her for speaking again.

Reception

The Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietors of t ...

said the book was "Good-natured and amusing, with cheerful illustrations" and Patricia Tauzer writing for

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

wrote in a four star (out of five) review that, "the story is clever."

In popular culture

*Prior to an adaptation into a TV series of the same name in 2008, the book was featured on an episode of ''

Reading Rainbow ''Reading Rainbow'' is an American educational children's television series that originally aired on PBS and afterward PBS Kids from July 11, 1983 to November 10, 2006, with reruns continuing to air until August 28, 2009. 155 30-minute episodes ...

'' and was also featured (but not read) on an episode of ''

Kino's Storytime ''Kino's Storytime'', also known as ''Storytime'', is an American children's reading television program which aired on PBS from October 12, 1992 until September 1, 1997. It was produced by KCET in Los Angeles, California. It was available on VH ...

''.

References

{{reflist 1992 children's books American picture books Anthropomorphic dogs Children's books about dogs Short stories about talking animals Houghton Mifflin books