Susan Meddaugh - Martha Says It with Flowers

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In the beginning... Martha was Helen's dog. She was an ordinary dog until... ...the day she ate alphabet soup. The letters in the soup traveled up to her brain instead of down to her stomach. That night Martha spoke: When's dinner? Steak is at the base of my food pyramid, along with alphabet soup.

Above that is just meat in general. Martha had a lot to tell her family. Have you heard the one about the cat who walks into a pet shop and orders a can of dog food... Martha just loved to talk. Good dog, Skits! Woof! And talk... Hello, world! I'm Martha and I'm talking to you! Is the world ready for Martha? Martha Says It with Flowers Based on a teleplay written by Peter K.

Hirsch
Based on characters created by Susan MeddaughHoughton Mifflin Books for Children Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Boston New York 2010 Martha was always a thoughtful dog. She was eager to please with a kind word or a helpful suggestion. Mom said that fruitcake you made wasn't fit for a dog, but I thought it was delicious! I'd like to add to our order. After all, what's a plain cheese pizza without bacon, pepperoni, and hamburger? But as much as she wanted to help, some people were so hard to please, like Helen's grandmother Lucille. Did you know these flowers aren't real? One day, as Grandma Lucille was leaving Martha's house, she suddenly remembered something. "I'll get it!" said Martha. "I'll get it!" said Martha.

She quickly returned with the hat in her mouth. But now it was crumpled and covered with bite marks and drool. "You've ruined my hat!" cried Grandma Lucille. Trying counts for a lot, Martha! I only wanted to be helpful, thought Martha. I guess I'll have to try harder. "If you want Grandma to forgive you for ruining her hat, maybe you could do something nice for her on her birthday," suggested Helen. Great idea! The next day Martha walked into Helen's room with a muddy piece of paper in her mouth.

It's a birthday card! "I told the next-door neighbor what to write," Martha said. Helen took the card and opened it. "Happy one hundredth birthday," she read. HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY! Love MARTHA I even signed it in mud. "It was kind of you to make a card, but Grandma Lucille isn't turning one hundred," Helen told Martha. "Maybe you should get her something instead. "Maybe you should get her something instead.

The Wagging Tail Gift Shop might give you an idea," Helen suggested. "Helen was right," said Martha. She found the perfect present in an alley right next to the Wagging Tail Gift Shop. "Grandma Lucille is going to love this!" She saw Grandpa Bernie inside the store, and went in to show him her present. Oh, my... I don't think Grandma Lucille will like it. "Really?" said Martha. "Did you notice the worm? I'd love to get this as a gift." But Grandpa Bernie said, "You might want to get her something that a person would like." Pleasing Grandma Lucille is not easy, thought Martha. Martha left the Wagging Tail Gift Shop feeling very discouraged. Martha left the Wagging Tail Gift Shop feeling very discouraged.

But when she passed the butcher shop, she had an inspiration. Dogs like it and people like it, she thought. Skits liked it too. "Woof!" he said. "No," Martha told him. "This is not for us.

This is for Grandma Lucille." Bacon, the perfect present! But when Martha brought home the bacon, Mariela said, "Oh, dear. Grandma Lucille doesn't eat bacon. We'll just save this for our breakfast tomorrow." Skits licked his chops, but Martha was too worried to even drool. Now she had to find another present, and Grandma Lucille's birthday was coming soon. Uh-oh. I can't seem to do anything right for Grandma Lucille, thought Martha. My gifts were all mistakes. My gifts were all mistakes.

I insulted her fruitcake. I ruined her favorite hat with the fake flowers. Then Martha had another inspired idea. "Flowers," she said. "That's the perfect present!" She got a basket and trotted off to the park with Skits. Real flowers are always better than fake flowers! "I know Grandma Lucille likes flowers," Martha told Skits. Grandma Lucille will love these.

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