I am charmed by George and Martha who are reminiscent of Lobel’s Frog and Toad. “The Tub” was my favorite story from the book. It packs such a punch in so few pages. Each of the stories are concise yet complete making it a great choice for young readers who might not have the attention span for longer books.

James Marshall's George and Martha stories were some of my favorite read-aloud books when I was a kid (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth). I thought the idea of pouring split pea soup into one's loafers was hilarious, and I loved the way Martha got revenge on George for violating her privacy in the bathtub. Now, I am delighted to find that these stories are truly timeless, and my little boys (1 and 3) love them as much as I did.

I went on a little James Marshall kick recently–he wrote such charmingly weird little books. I think my favorites are George and Martha, which I also enjoyed when I was young. Marshall managed to get such a wide range of emotions out of quite simple illustrations. I also liked the two Fox books that I read too–in some ways I think those are a little closer to childhood than George and Martha. At least, they’re more from a child’s point of view.