George and Martha

About this item:*It is a BOOK/CD set*It only says it's narrated by Jeff Loeb, but there is also a female voice reading the part of Martha*There are only 5 stories, and they are all VERY short!My review:I just finished reading all the negative reviews on here, for this book/CD set. I can understand how those reviewers thought this book was "inappropriate"and/or "boring".I grew up in the 80s, when material like this was considered acceptable by mainstream standards. My first-grade teacher read this book to my class and I always remember thinking it was HILARIOUS when George poured the soup into his loafer!!! The notion still 'tickles' me, to this day. :-DUnfortunately, I think the small amount of text, per story, doesn't offer enough room to fully explain 'the morals' in greater depth. I think the morals are fine, but you probably need to ad-lib a bit for kiddos nowadays.For example, I read that a lot of reviewers thought George was being a "peeping Tom" in the story about the bath. I think this is supposed to appeal to a young, 'curious' audience. I realize that George the Hippo is written as an adult, but the idea applies to young children who are curious about things like nudity and the excretion of human waste, etc. I believe the story is trying to teach young kids that people generally like their privacy about such matters, and that -eventually- it won't be appropriate anymore for a child to peep on others in their private moments. I get the feeling that being a "peeping Tom" (or a 'nosy Nelly') is wrong, from this story, so it's probably helping to sway kids from staying those things as they get older! haha*Also, it teaches children that friends don't have to know EVERYTHING about one another, in order to be friends. ...Well, that's what I get from it anyway. ;-)Tip:I recently discovered that they made a George & Martha cartoon series, back in 1999 (voiced by Nathan Lane & Andrea Martin). I went on YouTube, looking for a video of someone reading a George & Martha book, because I had just finished telling my kids about it, and I wanted them to see what I was talking about... But we ended up finding the cartoon first, so we took a chance and watched it. It's GREAT!!! It's fairly mellow (which I prefer for younger viewing eyes), but it's funny and entertaining!They've animated ALL the old G&M stories, and my point of writing all this out is that they've flushed out the stories a bit more, and I think they do a great job of better getting their point across (as far as the 'morals' go), compared to the book stories.If you like G&M, you'll probably love the cartoons! They have tons of them for free on YT!!! ;-)

Ah, George and Martha...there are about half a dozen George and Martha books, each having a few stories. I bought one of those and my grandsons WERE FASCINATED, they requested I read that book repeatedly. I did research and discovered this book which is a compilation of all the George and Martha stories. Again, it was the only book we read. I also discovered 3 VCR cys of the short lived PBS series which ran in the 90s (I think) which the grandsons also love. If Amazon had 10 stars, that's what I would post for my rating for this book. I've bought two copies of this compilation as the first fell apart (bought it used). My grandsons are 5 and 6 yrs and we've had our books and tapes close to two years.

James Marshall's books have a wonderful sense of humor that is appropriate for preschool-aged children but will still delight parents and make them smile. The illustrations are silly and fun. This is a great early chapter book -- perfect for four year old's who want to feel like big kids but not yet ready for longer books. The stories are wonderful demonstrations of friendship, as George and Martha experience misunderstandings and then come back together. I would recommend this for ages 4 on up, and it's perfect for fans of Elephant and Piggy.

I read the complete version to my children when they were little, which contains much more stories than this shortened version. My children loved it. They read it over and over again. Both of my children are teens now. I have received many compliments from other parents and teachers, praising how polite, thoughtful and mature my children are. I guess "George and Martha - The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends" deserves some credit!

I love George and Martha books. I'd purchased this for a 4 year old, but decided after reading this particular selection that I should wait a year or two. The approach/stories are a little bit "mature" or complex or something. This particular edition is about friendship (well, aren't they all in a way?) Next year, I think. Or maybe I'll give it to some adults I know who need to be reminded.

I ordered this by accident when looking for the complete stories, but I have to say that it was exactly as promised in the listing; my bad. Beautiful condition. My nephews will love it.

I used to read George and Martha when I was a little kid, and I was so happy to buy this for my son now that he is able to understand a little of it. The book is great, and I'm glad to see it's still available for kids these days to read.

This book was honestly just a little weird. It's five stories, the first one is a cute story about telling the truth, the second is kind of a subtle, deep cut where Martha tricks George out of flying away in a balloon, the third one is this super-creepy story where George is literally a peeping Tom and this is somehow in Martha's Overton Window, the fourth one is a story where George polices Martha's right to look in the mirror (?) , and the fifth one is about sugarcoating the truth, which is a nice way to wrap it up except that stories 2 through 4 aren't a progression.Just one of those classics that hasn't aged too well, IMO.

A classic : simple yet sensible and at times hilarious tales

Exactly as described.... Just brilliant.... Childhood flash back

Classic & stories for primary grades developing relationships with humourless overtones. Caring stories to be read aloud to children.

very good

This is a very charming book.. 3-4 stories short enough to keep little kids attention.