Martha Speaks

Based on the best-selling children’s book series by Susan Meddaugh, the Martha Speaks animated TV series follows the adventures of Martha, a loveable dog whose appetite for alphabet soup gives her the ability to speak. Using her newfound abilities, Martha gets jobs, wears disguises, foils bad guys, wins contests and orders lots of steaks. A dog’s breakfast of messes and hilarious entanglements ensue for Martha, her family and the unsuspecting people of her town who make up the comic heart of the series. Being a talking dog, Martha lives in a vocabulary-rich environment. The educational goal of the series is to bolster the vocabulary of 4- to 7-year-olds within the context of great stories in engaging, comical ways. Around and in between the half-hour’s two 11-minute stories are a variety of animated interstitials that reinforce the vocabulary. Sit. Stay. Watch out world -- here comes Martha! Martha Speaks is part of PBS KIDS Raising Readers, designed to use media to help young children, especially those from low-income families, build the skills they need to learn to read.