cover image George and Martha Round and Round

George and Martha Round and Round

James Marshall. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), $16 (47pp) ISBN 978-0-395-46763-3

George and Martha, best friends and co-stars of many stories, are back in this seventh sparkling collection. Martha's ear is too sensitive to take the incessant noise of George's gift of a cuckoo clock (so she gladly ``lends'' it back to him). They urge one another to use their imaginations to turn an ordinary rafting trip into an extraordinary one, attempt tolerance for one another's artistic efforts, scare each other with visions of ghosts and vampires in the attic, prepare for revenge after an innocent drenching with the garden hose, and forgive and forget shortcomings with humor and compassion. Their semi-snarling, semi-sentimental love for each other makes every episode a treat; their fans will warmly welcome this book. Ages 4-8. (October)