|
nancy@nancykeane.com
|
Click on the book to read Amazon reviews |
Marshall,
James.
GEORGE AND MARTHA BACK IN
TOWN
New York : Houghton Mifflin,
1984
IL K-3, RL 2.5
ISBN 0395353866
|
When
I was a kid, one of my best friends was my sister, Sylvia. We did everything
together. We laughed, talked, shared clothes. We worked together and played
together. Most of the time, we were like two peas in a pod. I guess everyone
has had that kind of person in their lives. Someone they really consider
a true-blue friend. Author James Marshall discusses this same sort of true
friendship with his characters George and Martha.
In a collection of five short stories, Marshall shows the importance of
friendship.
George was all nice and cozy.
“May I join you?” said Martha.
“I’m reading,” said George.
“I’ll be as quiet as a mouse,” said Martha.
“Thank you,” said George.
And he went back to his book.
But soon Martha was fidgeting.
“Please!” said George.
“Have some consideration!”
“Sorry,” said Martha.
George went back to his reading.
But in no time Martha was fidgeting again.
“That does it!” said George.
And he left.
At home he got all nice and cozy again.
He opened his book.
“It is important to be considerate to our friends,” said the book.
“It certainly is!” said George.
“Sometimes we are thoughtless without even knowing it,” said the book.
“I’ll say!” said George.
“Martha should read this book.”
He went to find her.
“I’m sorry I was fidgeting,” said Martha.
“I got lonely.”
“Oh,” said George. “I never considered that.”
“What did you want to tell me?” said Martha.
“Oh nothing,” said George.
“I just got lonely too.”
And they sat and told stories into the night.
Martha didn’t fidget even once.
To read more about George, Martha, and their friendship, read George and
Martha Back in Town by James Marshall. (Zina L. Watkins, zlwatkins3@yahoo.com,
Univ. of South Carolina) |
|
SUBJECTS:
Friendship -- Fiction.
Hippopotamus -- Fiction. |
© 
Permission is granted for the
noncommercial duplication and use of this resource, provided it is substantially
unchanged from its present form and appropriate credit is given.
|
