Martha Walks the Dog

Martha loves her daily walks. She enjoys sniffing and scratching with her pals down by the hydrant. But today something is different. A house down the street has been sold, the for sale sign replaced by a new sign - Beware of Dog! Always curious, Martha investigates and discovers that there's a new dog in town, a blustering tough-dog named Bob. He's big and mean, and even Martha reluctantly concedes that he may be a bad dog. Martha will have to keep all her canine wits about her to protect her buddies and herself from the savage bully. Fortunately, she makes the acquaintance of a long-winded Parrot, and together the talkative duo may be able to restore peace to the neighborhood. In this hilarious new escapade by Susan Meddaugh, Martha is back, busily proving that there's no substitute for the simple power of praise for taming the toughest old dogs.

"Martha tames a bully - with kind words - in the latest funny tale of the talking dog. She enjoys impressing humans with her ability to speak, but she also needs her daily walks with her neighborhood dog pals, scratching, sniffing, snoozing, chasing. Then a new dog arrives, a big, ferocious hound who barks at Martha and everything else and who is kept chained up by his fierce owner. One day, the angry bully breaks his chain and chases Martha. All her shouts and insults have no effect, and she nearly runs out of words and breath - until the bully hears the words 'Good dog!' and he smiles and wags his tail. As always, Meddaugh's line-and-watercolor cartoons and ballooned gags celebrate not only humor and courage but also Martha's elemental discovery: 'Words are such fun.'" Booklist, ALA