The year before, he had made his debut as the illustrator of Plink, Plink, Plink, a brief picture book with a text by Byrd Baylor that genially instructed children in how to cope with their fear of the dark. He worked quickly, and a little nervously, because his career as a children’s book author was in a critical phase that summer. The dots were the eyes of a cartoon character, two almost invisible specks of expression in a creature that, as Marshall drew it, began to take the form of a gargantuan blob. Inside the house his mother was watching Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf on TV, and the bickering, cynical voices of the movie’s two protagonists, George and Martha, intruded on his concentration. One summer afternoon in 1971, in the little town of Helotes outside San Antonio, a young artist named James Marshall lay in a hammock and drew two tiny dots. Read more here about our archive digitization project. We have left it as it was originally published, without updating, to maintain a clear historical record. 'The spare text, a treat for beginning readers or for sharing with pre-readers, perfectly matches the deceptively simple illustrations, which glow with humor and affection.This story is from Texas Monthly ’s archives. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the engaging stories, longer sentences, and language play of Level Two books are proven to help kids take their next steps toward reading success.

George and Martha is a Level Two I Can Read book, geared for kids who read on their own but still need a little help. Includes 'Spilt Pea Soup' and 'The Flying Machine,' plus games and activities to strengthen reading skills and comprehension. In each of the short stories in this book, George and Martha model healthy ways to navigate the sometimes complicated waters of friendship.

With original art and text from Marshall's classic storybooks and themes that will resonate with beginning readers, these deeply humorous, deeply honest stories are sure to inspire a love of books and reading. Iconic best hippo friends George and Martha discover that, among other things, pouring split pea soup into your loafers to spare the chef's feelings is not the best-laid plan in this Level Two I Can Read.

George and Martha by James Marshall