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Jonathan & Martha


Jonathan & Martha
by Petr Horacek
Phaidon, 2012.  Unpaged. Picture Book.

     Jonathan and Martha are two lonely worms who live on either side of a large pear tree.  When a pear falls from the tree the two meet--in the middle of the pear they have eaten through from either side.  Jonathan thinks the pear is his; Martha thinks the pear is hers.  They both want to fight, so they do until they are so tangled together that they are cinched up tight on their tail ends and can't get apart.  Then they have to share so they eat together (watermelons, cherries), and visit along the way.  One day a hungry bird comes after them and as they dive down their separate holes, they stick.  The bird pecks off their tails (Ouch!) and they are separate again. But they liked being together so they they do something very clever to make sure they won't ever have to be apart again.  Reminiscent of Eric Carle's The Big Hungry Caterpillar this brightly colored, charming picture book should become a favorite read-aloud for the younger set.

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