The Family Bookshelf
By Bob Walch
"Martha in the Middle"
(Candlewick Press) by Jan Fearnley
The Audience: If you have a child or know a child who is not happy with being "the one in the middle", this is definitely a book you need to get for him or her. It's humorous, positive and will make the youngster feel a lot better about where he or she is in the sibling pecking order! (40 pages)
The Issue: The author addresses the frustration that sometimes accompanies being "the child in the middle".
The Content: Being in the middle is no fun for a little mouse named Martha. She gets squashed between her siblings when they argue or when they share the same bed. She never gets called "big and sensible" or "cutesy-wootsy" like her sisters. In fact, poor Martha often feels she is invisible.
Fed up with the situation, Martha decides to run away. Luckily, she meets a wise frog who points out that middle is the best place to be. Using sunflowers, sweet peas, and a watermelon to illustrate his point, the frog convinces Martha she really is special because she is "in the middle".
The little mouse then hurries back to her family where she will again be right in the middle of everything!
The Message: In households with more than one child it is important to continually remind every child that he or she is a loved and valued member of the family. A middle child can sometimes be overlooked and this
picture book reminds us this is not a good situation.
The author also emphasizes that there are positive things connected to being in the middle and that should make any middle child feel much better about the situation.
Before retiring from the classroom, Bob Walch taught English in Santa Barbara and Carmel for 39 years. His reviews of children's literature appear in Central Coast newspapers and online at the Reading Tub, Roundtable Reviews and My Shelf. |
