George and Martha Rise and Shine: A Delightful Picture Book About Two Best Friends for Children

George and Martha

by James Marshall

Start off your day with George and Martha, the most lovable hippo friends around! George and Martha discover the importance of honest communication—and that sometimes it’s better to let your best friend sleep in rather than bring their bed along to the picnic. A man with a talent for friendship, James Marshall defined its very essence in his stories about the world’s two best friends. Each of these five brief tales is filled with humor, and James Marshall’s drawings are guaranteed to spark feelings of empathy, delight, and self-recognition.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Fiction, Animals, Friendship, Kids

48 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 1976

About the author

James Edward Marshall (October 10, 1942 – October 13, 1992), who also wrote as Edward Marshall, was a children's author and illustrator.

His father worked on the railroad, was a band member in the 1930s, and his mother sang in the local church choir. His family later moved to Beaumont, Texas. Marshall said: "Beaumont is deep south and swampy and I hated it. I knew I would die if I stayed there so I diligently studied the viola, and eventually won a scholarship to the New England Conservatory in Boston."[1] He entered the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, but injured his hand, ending his music career. He returned to Texas, where he attended San Antonio College, and later transferred to Southern Connecticut State University where he received degrees in French and history.

It is said that he discovered his vocation on a 1971 summer afternoon, lying on a hammock drawing. His mother was watching Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and the main characters, George and Martha, ultimately became characters in one of his children's books. Marshall continued as a children's author until his untimely death in 1992 of a brain tumor. In 1998, George and Martha became the basis of an eponymous animated children's television show.

In addition to George and Martha, the lovable hippopotami, James Marshall created dozens of other uniquely appealing characters. He is well-known for his Fox series (which he wrote as "Edward Marshall"), as well as the Miss Nelson books, the Stupids, the Cut-ups, and many more. James Marshall had the uncanny ability to elicit wild delight from readers with relatively little text and simple drawings. With only two minute dots for eyes, his illustrated characters are able to express a wide range of emotion, and produce howls of laughter from both children and adults.

Reviews

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

George and Martha reminds me of the Frog and Toad books that I read as a kid. Both series were published around the same time and share a similar aesthetic. Rather than a story about a frog and a toad who are best friends, George and Martha is about two hippos who are best friends. Similar to Frog and Toad, George and Martha have very different and very child-like personalities. Rise and Shine contains three short stories about the two friends. While this early reader edition of Rise and Shine was printed in 2009, the book maintains the simple four color illustrations from the original.

I loved the nostalgic simplicity of the George and Martha stories. Children will relate to and find humor in the silly antics of the two best friends. This book is intended for children ages 4 to 8 years old, which I think is the perfect age range for this early reader series. There are a few words that younger children may need help sounding out, but for the most part the text is easy to read. The illustrations and text layout makes use of a lot of white space, making the book easy on the eyes and not overwhelming. This would be a great book to recommend to new readers who enjoy books that feature animals as the main characters.

[Magila · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Emily Banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

George and Martha Rise and Shine by James Marshall is a book of short stories that show how to be a good friend. There are examples of selflessness, humor, and patience in the stories that would be beneficial for students to hear. I enjoyed this book. I thought the illustrations were cute and the stories served the purpose they intended to serve. I would use this book to help my students to understand what being a good friend is like.

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are not too ashamed to admit you are the type to recoil at the phrase “rise and shine,” whenever it is directed at you, or if you are even mildly susceptible to the temptations of avarice or any other sinfulness or foolishness, then this book may just have you laughing at yourself and at the hapless hippos in these stories. And so for your layabed offspring.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

George and Martha in this book remind me of Homer and Marge Simpson -- only absent any of the wit, the satire, the intelligence, the verve, or the originality.

FIVE STARS for the sake of parents and other caregivers, who may persuade themselves that these stories would amuse children. (I doubt it.)

[Shannon]

One of my personal favorite volumes in the lovable and wonderful George and Martha series. This has a couple of my favorite stories including "The Scary Movie" ("You don't wear glasses!") and "The Secret Club" (I love how George really is an old softie--and who couldn't love Martha?)

[Rich Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love these characters and their interactions. I’m not sure E. loves them as much as I do, but I keep checking them out.

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five more vignettes from the lives of best friends George and Martha. Includes topics such as fibbing, watching scary movies, and appreciating one another.

[E & E’s Mama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elliot really enjoys these stories. The dry, witty humor is enjoyable for me as the reader

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

40 years later, still good

[Rick Christiansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious! I loved this as a child and it is still outstanding.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book about George and Martha, two hippos who are friends. Through five vignettes, this picture book imparts lessons on friendship. A delightful book with a wonderful sense of humor.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

my daughter is loving these stories. cute, fun, sweet, endearing. good morals without being moralistic. kind of like frog and toad but with hippos.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My very special girl loves George and Martha and their antics. A blast from my past as I read these books as a child, and I'm happy to share them with my little ones.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 stories about two friends who are hippos.

The Fibber--George tells Martha a bunch of fibs and she calls his bluff.

The Experiment--Martha studies fleas with itchy results.

The Picnic--Martha desperately wants to have a picnic, but George won't get out of bed. She forces him to play along by propping his bed up on roller skates, but falls asleep after all her efforts.

The Scary Movie--George invites a hesitant Martha to see a scary movie, but ends up scaring himself.

The Secret Club--Martha is jealous when George heads off to a secret club meeting, but is embarrassed to find the club business concerns her.

Cute, fun stories with some great artwork. I liked that the illustrations in this volume provided some information not mentioned in text. I especially enjoyed seeing Marshall's depiction of George white as a ghost after seeing the scary movie; it brought a smile to my face.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

George and Martha is a cute children's book about two hippos that are good friends. The book has short stories about their silly conversations and quirky adventures! My favorite story was story number four about the scary movie. George convinces Martha to go to her first scary movie! I thought it was very funny who Martha originally was very scared and George was acting all tough, but then Martha actually giggled through the movie when George ends up turning as white as sheet! The book has 5 cute stories that any beginning reader would love!

In a classroom setting, I would use these short stories for writing prompts where students could come up with their own stories similar to the adventures George and Martha have! The book would work great in a K-1 classroom because of the simple vocabulary and colorful illustrations explaining the story.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn't labeled a certain 'level' but I would put it a level 2 book. A 'merging' reader wouldn't take long to learn to read on their own with a little help. It's set up of four small (three to four pages) stories. Each page has three to four short sentences on them. With an illustration on the previous page. My granddaughter did pay attention through it but I started to loose her toward the end, it's kind of 'slow' but for a beginning reader it would be fine. My teenage special needs son enjoyed parts of it but like my granddaughter started loosing him in places too.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 - The Fibber: George lies to impress Martha but it backfires when the “snake charmer” is presented with a snake to charm.

#2 - The Experiment: Martha wants to study fleas but soon finds herself in an itchy situation.

#3 - The Picnic: George wants to sleep in but Martha wants to go on a picnic, so she brings George, bed and all.

#4 - The Scary Movie: George takes Martha to her first scary movie, but who’s scared?

#5 - The Secret Club: George has his own club - Martha wants to join.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book. It's divided into 5 little vignettes about George and Martha. It says the story is about "two fine friends" but they seem more like husband and wife to me. Maybe that's too racy for the under 10 crowd. I don't know. Anyway, I like it because Martha is feisty and has wild ideas while George is sweet and a little neurotic. There's something awfully familiar in their dynamic. Anyway, the book makes me laugh every time.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series of books - short and fun with lessons good for all ages

Story #1: The fibber / Was George Telling the Truth?

Story #2: The Experiment / What Was Martha Peering at under Her Microscope?

Story #3: The Scary Movie: Does Everyone Like Scary Movies?

Story #4: The Picnic: How Did George Like Martha’s Picnic?

Story #5: The Secret Club: Why Was George Spending So Much Time in His Secret Clubhouse?

[Angela Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is divided into four sections. I think it is a good start for children to read chapter books. When I was reading this book, I got kind of bored because the words were not interesting and the illustrations were too simple. It could have used more colors to make children more interested. Also the story did not have a point. I don't think children will like this book as much as other chapter/section books.

[Clio Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rediscovering Old Favorites with My Kids James Marshall's George and Martha stories were some of my favorite read-aloud books when I was a kid (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth). I thought the idea of pouring split pea soup into one's loafers was hilarious, and I loved the way Martha got revenge on George for violating her privacy in the bathtub. Now, I am delighted to find that these stories are truly timeless, and my little boys (1 and 3) love them as much as I did.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

George and Martha books were some of my favorites to read when I was a kid. I just checked George and Martha Rise and Shine out from the library to read with my niece. I really like the set up of these books. I like how they are comprised of multiple, shorter stories within one book. I think each story is a perfect length to engage young readers while keeping up a faster pace.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

To the best of my memory, I haven't read any George and Martha stories before today. Or at least they made very little impact on me. And the first two were kind of lame. But in this one Martha shines. Whether she is doing science on fleas or hopping on a pogo-stick - Martha is just that one step further out there that makes these stories less simple. I also liked George turning white as a ghost.

[Stephanie Klaren]

In the Green Light Readers addition there are only three stories about George and Martha: "The Fibber," "The Experiment," and "The Picnic." This is a level 2 book and it have a few harder vocabulary words in it, Laboratory for example. There are three different stories to read in this book which can get students ready to start reading small chapter books.

[Lauren Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a really good book for reviewing truth. In the beginning George is trying to impress Martha and makes up some fibs. Martha ends up doing experiments and figures out they are fibs. This is a good book for younger readers K-2.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a collection of a few short stories. I'm not a big James Marshall fan. This book did nothing to change that. The stories were not funny. Perhaps I missed the point.

[Courtney Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fine collection of stories.

[Don Gubler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and entertaining.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute kids' story.