The dog who suddenly began speaking after a bowl of alphabet soup went to her brain instead of her stomach in Martha Speaks (Houghton, 1992) is back again. This time she's learning that there's a downside to communication. Not all words are pleasing, and three in particular are downright rude: "No dogs allowed." When Martha wins a vacation to a seaside resort in a telephone contest, she must suffer the ultimate indignity of being disguised as a human. Once again, Susan Meddaugh combines understatement, dialogue balloons and humorously expressive illustrations to allow Martha to speak for herself. (Ages 4-8)

Martha is a dog--a dog who can talk! In this story, Martha speaks up against the injustice of "No dogs allowed" signs and reminds humans that animals are part of the family.

Martha loves talking on the telephone. When she calls into a radio contest and wins a weekend getaway at the Come-On Inn, her family is ecstatic--until they realize dogs aren't allowed. Though they sneak her in, irrepressible Martha is not interested in staying hidden in the room. She thinks dogs should be able to have fun on vacation too. And when Martha speaks, people listen!