Summary
In Susan Meddaugh's hilarious picture book, a dog named Martha eats alphabet soup and gains the power of speech — and won't stop talking. LeVar Burton explores the science of language and why vocabulary matters.
Viewer safety
All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Martha the dog eats alphabet soup, and suddenly she can talk — about everything.
- Why does eating the alphabet soup help Martha speak?
- Is it always a good thing to say everything you think? What problems does Martha have?
- What is the most interesting or funny word Martha uses?
- What new word have you learned recently? How did you use it?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: communicate, vocabulary, alphabet, speech, language.
Try it: Find three new words in a book or the dictionary. Write each word and a definition in your own words. Then use each word in a sentence.

