Week 1

Title: George and Martha: Two Great Friends by James Marshall

Book Summary

George and Martha: Two Great Friends is a book comprised of three stories detailing the friendship of two hippopotamuses who learn about privacy, vanity, and compassion through their experiences together. 

My Impressions

I loved the stories about George and Martha’s friendship.  All three stories taught basic character traits in a simple yet hilarious way. I laughed out loud when Martha hit George on the head with her tub for peeping on her. In every situation I knew the characters’ emotions by using the illustrations. It is obvious George thinks it’s funny when he replaces Martha’s mirror with a silly image and scares her. Both friends make mistakes, learn from them, and become better friends to each other.

Professional Review

Midwest Book Review
"Three fine stories of two great friends pack a fun beginner's picture book that tells of a friendship between two hippos. Stories tell of friends learning privacy, handling each other's habits, and facing disaster when a tooth injury changes appearance. Lessons impart the basics of friends making adjustments."

Library Use

Elementary School

I would show students the illustrations before reading the book and ask them to describe what the characters are feeling or thinking based on their facial expressions.

Bibliography

Marshall, j. (1972). George and Martha: Two Great Friends. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin  
        Company.

Midwest book review. (2007). Children's Book Watch . Retrieved from  
        http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/dec_07.htm