Susan Meddaugh
Martha Speaks is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Susan Meddaugh and published by Houghton Mifflin in September 1992. It is the first in a series of six books featuring a young girl named Helen Finney and her pet dog named Martha.
Susan Meddaugh
- Name
- Martha Speaks
- Born
- 1944 · Montclair.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- writer · illustrator
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Documentary summary
Martha Speaks is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Susan Meddaugh and published by Houghton Mifflin in September 1992. It is the first in a series of six books featuring a young girl named Helen Finney and her pet dog named Martha.
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Martha Speaks • Author — Susan Meddaugh • Illustrator — Susan Meddaugh • Country — United States • Series — Martha Speaks • Genre — Children's picture book • Publisher — Houghton Mifflin Harcourt • Pub Date — September 1992 • Media Type — Paper • Pages — 32 pp • Followed By — Martha Calling
Plot
Plot
The book follows the adventures of the dog Martha, who can speak after being fed alphabet soup. The family complains about Martha being talkative and she stops eating her soup. When a burglar breaks into the family's house, Martha is unable to call for help. The burglar gives her alphabet soup to keep her quiet and distracted, completely unaware that it gives her the ability to talk. Martha then calls the police and the family appreciates her for speaking again.
In popular culture
In popular culture
• Prior to an adaptation into a TV series of the same name in 2008, the book was featured on an episode of Reading Rainbow and was also featured (but not read) on an episode of Kino's Storytime.
Reception
The Horn Book Magazine said the book was "Good-natured and amusing, with cheerful illustrations" and Patricia Tauzer writing for Common Sense Media wrote in a four star (out of five) review that, "the story is clever."
Citations
References
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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