Perfectly Martha [Hardcover]

Susan Meddaugh (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

What do people really want from a dog? When Otis Weaselgraft opens up his Perfect Pup Institute, promising to train even the most drooling, barking, scratching, squirrel-chasing dog to be perfectly obedient in only three steps, Martha smells a rat. She knows dogs are already perfect. But Weaselgraft claims he can make man’s best friend even better. Word of his amazing program spreads through the neighborhood—soon half the dogs in town are enrolled at the Perfect Pup Institute. But there’s something strange about the Perfect Pup graduates, and Martha is determined to find out what it is . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. In her sixth adventure, Martha the talking dog becomes a crime stopper when she exposes a pair of scam artists. Martha is disturbed by the newly opened Perfect Pup Institute, which advertises "a perfect dog in one day." After one class, run by oily partners Otis Weaselgraft and Dr. Pablum, dogs become robotically obedient; they even stop chasing squirrels. Determined to uncover Weaselgraft's secret, Martha enters the institute, but Dr. Pablum overhears her speaking and dognaps her for study. While incarcerated, Martha learns the crooks' trick (the RoboRover Brain Stopper, a collar device that freezes all but the obedience lobe of a dog's brain) and manages to humiliate Weaselgraft as she reveals his plot to the public. The story's pace meanders a bit. But as in Martha's other stories, Meddaugh's expressive, energetic cartoon drawings and clever text asides make a winning combination. Many children will recognize Martha's frustration with the adults who try to tame the spirit out of their young canines. Who needs obedience school? Martha wonders. "Dogs are already perfect." Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"In agile ink-and-watercolor illustrations, printed on a white ground like the Curious George books, Meddaugh does for dogs what H.A. Rey does for monkeys." Publishers Weekly, Starred

"This laugh-out-loud escapade will please budding sci-fi fans as well as Martha's many admirers." School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HMH Books; First edition edition (March 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061837857X
• ISBN-13: 978-0618378579
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,060,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Meddaugh was born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey. She graduated from Wheaton College, where she studied French literature and fine arts. After working briefly with an advertising agency in New York, she moved to Boston and worked at a publishing company for ten years, first as a designer, then art editor, and finally as art director. While there, she did the illustrations for GOOD STONES (Houghton Mifflin) by Anne Epstein, and then decided to strike out on her own as a freelance illustrator and creator of children's books. Since that time, Susan has written and illustrated many popular books for children. She lives in Sherborn, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars cute, June 3, 2005

By 

Melissa Sack (georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perfectly Martha (Hardcover)

Martha is a dog and one day she eats a bowl of alphabet soup and suddenly finds she can talk. Martha and her dog friend Skits go for a walk down town. They see a man advertising a Perfect Pup School. He claims that he can turn any dog in to the `perfect" pet! Martha sees right through the scheme right and way and sets out to prove to everyone that the man is a fraud!


The main characters in the book are dogs. Children seem to enjoy stories about dogs.

Yes The colorful pictures are well drawn and pleasing to the eye.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Martha Speaks book, August 7, 2009

By 

Kimberly J. Fox "Max and Ruby mom" (New Mecixo, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Perfectly Martha (Martha Speaks) (Paperback)

I love these series of books. There are good size and durable. They are perfect for my 5 year old. I will buy more in the future.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Educational!!, January 17, 2009

By 

Cindy J. Greever "michellesmama" (WA STATE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Perfectly Martha (Martha Speaks) (Paperback)

These book series are wholesome, educational and very well written. The illustrations are so very cute!! I highly recommend them to anyone with children!