George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends Collector's Edition (George & Martha)

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com Review
Like all best friends, George and Martha do everything together--go to the movies, play at the beach, and just hang around not doing much of anything. No matter that they happen to be gigantic hippopotami, they learn the same lessons humans do about the ups and downs of true friendship. George and Martha teach each other (and adoring readers) that even in a close friendship, privacy is important, practical jokes can sometimes backfire, and among other things, pouring split pea soup into your loafers to spare the chef's feelings is not the best laid plan.

What's remarkable about the stories in this wonderful collection is the emotion James Marshall infuses into his understated, charming text and illustrations. Each brief tale is always humorous, never preachy, and his drawings--deceptively simple in appearance--are guaranteed to spark feelings of empathy, delight, and self-recognition. Maurice Sendak, in his foreword to this 25th anniversary compilation edition of all 35 stories, notes, "Those dear, ditzy, down-to-earth hippos bring serious pleasure to everybody, not only to children. They are time-capsule hippos who will always remind us of a paradise in publishing and--both seriously and comically--of the true, durable meaning of friendship under the best and worst conditions." (Ages 4 and up)

Product Description
Like all best friends, George and Martha do everything together?go to the movies, play at the beach, and just hang around not doing much of anything. George and Martha teach each other (and adoring readers) that even in a close friendship, privacy is important, practical jokes can sometimes backfire, and among other things, pouring split pea soup into your loafers to spare the chef's feelings is not the best-laid plan. A man with a talent for friendship, James Marshall defined its very essence in his stories about the world's two best friends. In this volume, all thirty-five episodes are brought together to celebrate friendship and two of the most lovable characters ever created. Each of these brief tales is filled with humor, and James Marshall's drawings are guaranteed to spark feelings of empathy, delight, and self-recognition.

This collector's edition includes an introduction by MauriceSendak as well as appreciations by some of the top authorsand illustrators working in children's publishing today.It is a true testament to James Marshall as an author, as an artist, and as a person that his work and his life inspired such a diverse and immensely talented group. Noted children's book historian Anita Silvey provides an afterword.

Customer Reviews: Read 37 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

This book is really good and funny. October 14, 1999
27 out of 27 found this review helpful

As a family we have read this book numerous times and love it. They are best friends. They are really funny when they are frightened.My sister aged 4 loves the stories and they are simple enough for me to read to her. Every child should read this book.

5 out of 5 stars

My favorite book in the whole entire world!!!! January 20, 1999
22 out of 23 found this review helpful

As a second grade teacher I have read George and Martha to hundreds of seven and eight year olds. This book is about what true friendship really is. Knowing the stories by heart I sometimes double over laughing before I even read the page. When I ask, "Who's your teacher's favorite author?" Everyone responds, "James Marshall!!" This anthology was a true gift and one of my prized posessions. If I could have just one book on a desert island, this would be it.

5 out of 5 stars

George and Martha are the best May 31, 2001
19 out of 19 found this review helpful

I showed this book to a friend of mine when we were both graduate students. He rolled his eyes, but when I came back into the room after having stepped out for a moment, he was laughing at it. A co-worker of mine was looking for some book recommendations, and I suggested this one for his nieces and nephews. He told me he could not make it all the way through the book when he was reading it out loud to them because he was laughing so hard he was crying. Do I need to say anything else to persuade you to buy this book? George and Martha are two of the funniest children's book characters of all time, and James Marshall is a much missed genius of children's stories. Enjoy it. You may even find yourself reading it once the kids have gone to bed.

5 out of 5 stars

The Best Book on Friendship Ever Written January 12, 2000
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

Have you or anyone you know ever been troubled by the complexities of friendship? This endearing collection of vignettes in the lives of two very dear friends, models how to get through the peaks and troughs of human relations. I have had two best friends for over thirty years and I know friendships take a lot of work. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote wonderfully about friendship but James Marshall wrote these profoundly simple, almost poetic stories about two hippos who err, forgive, sacrifice, love, and put up with each other in a most charming and edifying fashion that everyone can understand. George and Martha books are adored by children and adults; they are well illustrated, in simple language and highly allegorical. I have given them as greeting cards to celebrate, apologize, teach, support, and grovel. I bought this full collection as a birthday present for a teenager who loved the stories as a child, and deeply appreciates the lessons as an emerging adult. (Frankly, I wanted to keep it for myself -- but that would have been too selfish, so I bought another.) Enjoy this book and benefits of dear friends.

5 out of 5 stars

GREAT! December 4, 1999
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I met George and Martha when I was a kid and grew to love their antics. Now, as an adult, I love to introduce them to a new generation of kids. What I particularly appreciate is that neither of these two characters is perfect. George peeks in windows; Martha can be vain. They both have bouts of naughtiness. Still, while their antics are different in each story, the message is the same: When you love someone, you forgive his foibles with the same enthusiasm that you celebrate his virtues.

I'll take "George and Martha" over "The Book of Virtues" any day!

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