I love it when I find a book that reminds me of my children. It may remind me of their behavior, a struggle they have or had, or my feeling towards one of my children. Martha Speaks, by Susan Meddaugh is one of those books that “speak” to me!
Since Helen doesn’t really like alphabet soup, she feeds some to the dog, Martha. The letters in the soup ended up in Martha’s brain and she began to talk. The family loved it - they asked her all kinds of questions about being a dog, they loved surprising people and amazing their friends and family.
Of course, just like children, Martha often said what was on her mind (even when it wasn’t appropriate or polite). She also liked being able to talk and did quite a lot of talking, even though her family had tired of listening to her incessant talking (a sentiment I fully relate to).
Martha talked and talked and talked until her family finally told her to SHUT UP! Of course, this really hurt Martha’s feelings and she stopped talking (something my husband says my 3-year-old will do if I’m not nicer about asking her to be quiet :).
Even though her family was glad to have the quiet, they became worried when Martha refused to speak for days and days. Her family tried feeding her more alphabet soup, but Martha refused to eat.
When a burglar broke into the family’s house, Martha tried to call 911. She couldn’t speak since she hadn’t been eating alphabet soup, so she tried to bark and growl to scare the burglar. Luckily, the burglar gave her the pan of alphabet soup from the stove to quiet the dog.
When Martha’s family returned, the police were arresting the burglar. They explained that they had gotten a call from some lady named Martha who reported the burglary.
The happy ending is that Martha eats a bowl of alphabet soup every day and is learning what to say, how much to say, and when to say it!
It’s a cute story, and what child wouldn’t like for a dog to be able to talk? Very magical, indeed. Of course when I read it, I think about my 3-year-old and how I often wish I could just yell, “Shut Up!” But I know it would hurt her feelings, just as Martha’s feelings were hurt. And though I am tempted by the silence that I would revel in, I am not persuaded. She says too many cute things and expresses so much for a 3-year-old, that I honestly don’t want to miss it! Thanks for reminding me of that Ms. Meddaugh!
Don’t miss this great read! Thanks for stopping by for this week’s story - see you next Saturday!
