Martha in the Middle - Hardcover

Jan Fearnley has written and illustrated many books for children, including NEVER TOO LITTLE TO LOVE by Jeanne Willis. She lives in Surrey, England.

PreSchool-K—Martha's the middle mouse in her family. Older sister Clara is big and sensible. Brother Ben is a "cutesy-wootsy little baby." But when Martha does something good, all she hears is, "Well done, Martha." She is just there, feeling unnoticed, so she runs away to the far end of the garden where she meets Frog. After Martha tells him her woes, he tries to convince her that middle things are special and important. The examples he uses to illustrate his point are ripples in a pond, seeds in the centers of sunflowers, nectar in the centers of blossoms, peas in a pod, and a juicy slice of watermelon. That turns Martha's thinking around and, when Clara and Ben come looking for her, she happily returns to the fold. The watercolor and ink illustrations fill every square inch and are so exuberant that they jump off the page. The facial expressions and poses of the characters are expressive and entertaining, and the nature scenes are lush and beautiful. The large size and joyous nature of this book will make it a storytime favorite.—Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI
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