Perfectly Martha (Martha Speaks)
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 EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.