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Марта и Джонатан
Книга "Марта и Джонатан" простым и понятным языком расскажет ребенку о том, как важно уметь делиться.
По разные стороны от дерева живут два одиноких червячка - Джонатан и Марта. Однажды на землю падает большая сочная груша, которая оказывается как раз между ними. Джонатан стал грызть грушу слева, а Марта - справа до тех пор, пока они не встретились и не запутались в итоге. После этого червячки остались вместе и научились делиться.
В книге "Марта и Джонатан" прекрасно отражена вся суть дружбы, а оригинально выполненные иллюстрации отлично дополняют историю.
По разные стороны от дерева живут два одиноких червячка - Джонатан и Марта. Однажды на землю падает большая сочная груша, которая оказывается как раз между ними. Джонатан стал грызть грушу слева, а Марта - справа до тех пор, пока они не встретились и не запутались в итоге. После этого червячки остались вместе и научились делиться.
В книге "Марта и Джонатан" прекрасно отражена вся суть дружбы, а оригинально выполненные иллюстрации отлично дополняют историю.
40 pages, Board book
First published February 27, 2012
1 person is currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Petr Horáček
85 books69 followersPetr Horáček is the author-illustrator of Look Out, Suzy Goose and Silly Suzy Goose, as well as Run, Mouse, Run!; Bird, Fly High; A New House for Mouse; and Strawberries Are Red. He lives in England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
March 20, 2019
Srdcovka. Obrázková kniha o dvoch dážďovkách, ktoré sa zrazu musia naučiť spolu žiť. Krásny príbeh o tom, že deliť sa s niekým o všetko je zábava.
September 27, 2019
Krasna detska kniha
November 23, 2018
Not a book I'd recommend for purchase, but I certainly am delighted that I had a chance to read it. My objection is that too much seems to be lifted straight from Eric Carle'.
I do not object to the bit where they get entangled, nor to the bit where they get their tails bit off. After all, 1. they're worms, and 2. like most picture-books in which animals have adventures, it's a metaphorical fable. That is to say, the reader is expected to sense a theme and the suggestion of a lesson. The entanglement can readily be interpreted as, for example, two classmates who haven't been friends working on the same class project, and the crow can be the teacher noticing that if they don't start to work harder together, they'll both fail and lose whatever privilege passing students get. For example.
Anyway, good book.
I do not object to the bit where they get entangled, nor to the bit where they get their tails bit off. After all, 1. they're worms, and 2. like most picture-books in which animals have adventures, it's a metaphorical fable. That is to say, the reader is expected to sense a theme and the suggestion of a lesson. The entanglement can readily be interpreted as, for example, two classmates who haven't been friends working on the same class project, and the crow can be the teacher noticing that if they don't start to work harder together, they'll both fail and lose whatever privilege passing students get. For example.
Anyway, good book.
September 8, 2012
Ever tried to write a picture book before? Blooming bloody hard work they are. Synthesizing a point down to as few words as possible without sacrificing story or character is akin to trying to cram a muffin into a mouse hole. It takes skill and talent, particularly if your subject matter is broad. I've recently come to the conclusion that if you're dealing with a very specific subject, like a baby train robber or a dog that wants to fly a rocket to the moon, that is far and away much easier to write about than the big concepts like "love" or "need" or "friendship". Friendship, as it happens, is at least a little easier since you can pep up your storyline with lots of superfluous details and folderol if needs be. That's why I sort of get floored when I see something as simple and perfect as Jonathan & Martha. With art and design so beautiful you just want to stroke the pages for a couple hours, as well as story and characters that stand out and demand to be noticed, the eminent Czech author/illustrator Petr Horacek outdoes himself and makes the rest of us a little jealous that he can make it look so very easy.
When we meet our heroes, Jonathan and Martha are two lonely worms living on either side of a large pear tree. One day a magnificently sized green pear falls to the ground. Unaware of the others' presence, the two eat their way into a fast acquaintance. They immediately set about fighting one another, only to find that their tails are now inextricably linked. Forced to share, the two discover the pleasure of enjoying food, large and small, together. And when a hungry birdie finds a fast (and mildly painful) way of separating them, they now like sharing so much that they're willing to keep on doing it. Tangled tails or no.
How often do you pet the pages of your picture books? I'm not talking about those tactile board books with their fur and scale elements. No, I mean beautifully crafted picture books where the very paper feels like it could stand up to wind, rain and storm. Books where part of the joy is in running your fingertips over the raised thick illustrations on the book jacket (a pleasure sadly lost to any library system that protects those jackets with plastic covers). Phaidon has pulled out all the stops with this little British import, lavishing their title with thick papers, beautiful die-cuts, covers that beg to be touched, and enough colors to pop out an eye or two.
All that designy stuff aside (and, let's admit it, that's just the stuff that gets adults shopping in museum gift shops excited rather than children) there's a ton of kid appeal to be found here. I have two words for you: worm headlock. Now tell me you're not interested in seeing that. The book itself looks like it was created in the Eric Carle vein, with beautiful painted sections found alongside parts that may or may not be computer generated (on Horacek's artistic style the book remains mum). Getting right down to the characters of Jonathan and Martha themselves, I found myself hugely pleased that Horacek chose to make them almost physically identical. Many's the artist who would have felt obligated to make clear Martha's femininity with some kind of bow or some long overwrought eyelashes. Part of the charm of the story, though, is the fact that the two worms are pretty much identical (Jonathan's a touch longer in the tail). Feminizing details would be at odds here.
And did I happen to mention that it reads aloud well? It's a big book, you see, weighing at around 9" x 9". That means it really pops when you read it in a storytime. When you hold it high, a room full of children can make out the details perfectly. And as anyone with any readaloud experience will tell you, die-cuts are a reader's best friend. It doesn't hurt matters any that the words work just splendidly as well. I remember a couple of years ago when Horacek's Silly Suzy Goose was brought to the States and readers were split into two factions. On the one hand you had the folks who thought it was a gift of a readaloud destined for storytime greatness. On the other hand there were a lot of people (present company included) driven positively mad by some of the phrases in the book. No such problems exist here. The writing is incredibly simple and straightforward, punctuated occasionally by a little "Ouch!" on occasion. There's not a child alive who could watch that ginormous hungry bird and not feel some twinge of fear for the fate of our tangled twosome.
Lots of other picture books come to mind when I read this book. The die-cuts evoke The Very Hungry Caterpillar while the idea of two enemies stuck together so that they become friends is akin to Randy Cecil's beautifully twisted Horsefly and Honeybee. Jonathan & Martha is clearly it's own queer little beastie, though. Eye-catching enough to arouse the interest of even the snottiest adult consumer but kid-friendly enough to pass the fearful readaloud-to-a-large-group test, this is the rare book that pleases highbrow and lowbrow alike. Fun and fanciful and far and away one of the best little picture books of the year. You'd do well to make its acquaintance.
For ages 3-7
When we meet our heroes, Jonathan and Martha are two lonely worms living on either side of a large pear tree. One day a magnificently sized green pear falls to the ground. Unaware of the others' presence, the two eat their way into a fast acquaintance. They immediately set about fighting one another, only to find that their tails are now inextricably linked. Forced to share, the two discover the pleasure of enjoying food, large and small, together. And when a hungry birdie finds a fast (and mildly painful) way of separating them, they now like sharing so much that they're willing to keep on doing it. Tangled tails or no.
How often do you pet the pages of your picture books? I'm not talking about those tactile board books with their fur and scale elements. No, I mean beautifully crafted picture books where the very paper feels like it could stand up to wind, rain and storm. Books where part of the joy is in running your fingertips over the raised thick illustrations on the book jacket (a pleasure sadly lost to any library system that protects those jackets with plastic covers). Phaidon has pulled out all the stops with this little British import, lavishing their title with thick papers, beautiful die-cuts, covers that beg to be touched, and enough colors to pop out an eye or two.
All that designy stuff aside (and, let's admit it, that's just the stuff that gets adults shopping in museum gift shops excited rather than children) there's a ton of kid appeal to be found here. I have two words for you: worm headlock. Now tell me you're not interested in seeing that. The book itself looks like it was created in the Eric Carle vein, with beautiful painted sections found alongside parts that may or may not be computer generated (on Horacek's artistic style the book remains mum). Getting right down to the characters of Jonathan and Martha themselves, I found myself hugely pleased that Horacek chose to make them almost physically identical. Many's the artist who would have felt obligated to make clear Martha's femininity with some kind of bow or some long overwrought eyelashes. Part of the charm of the story, though, is the fact that the two worms are pretty much identical (Jonathan's a touch longer in the tail). Feminizing details would be at odds here.
And did I happen to mention that it reads aloud well? It's a big book, you see, weighing at around 9" x 9". That means it really pops when you read it in a storytime. When you hold it high, a room full of children can make out the details perfectly. And as anyone with any readaloud experience will tell you, die-cuts are a reader's best friend. It doesn't hurt matters any that the words work just splendidly as well. I remember a couple of years ago when Horacek's Silly Suzy Goose was brought to the States and readers were split into two factions. On the one hand you had the folks who thought it was a gift of a readaloud destined for storytime greatness. On the other hand there were a lot of people (present company included) driven positively mad by some of the phrases in the book. No such problems exist here. The writing is incredibly simple and straightforward, punctuated occasionally by a little "Ouch!" on occasion. There's not a child alive who could watch that ginormous hungry bird and not feel some twinge of fear for the fate of our tangled twosome.
Lots of other picture books come to mind when I read this book. The die-cuts evoke The Very Hungry Caterpillar while the idea of two enemies stuck together so that they become friends is akin to Randy Cecil's beautifully twisted Horsefly and Honeybee. Jonathan & Martha is clearly it's own queer little beastie, though. Eye-catching enough to arouse the interest of even the snottiest adult consumer but kid-friendly enough to pass the fearful readaloud-to-a-large-group test, this is the rare book that pleases highbrow and lowbrow alike. Fun and fanciful and far and away one of the best little picture books of the year. You'd do well to make its acquaintance.
For ages 3-7
May 14, 2018
I'm all about two worms falling in love (Worm Loves Worm) but that bird part was terrifying.
January 18, 2013
I am a huge fan of Horacek's books but this one was just a little too strange for me to really like it. Tangling themselves read as vaguely sexual to myself and several others I handed it to without saying anything. Probably over the heads of the intended picture book audience but a little unsettling for adults. the bird eating the tails was a little gruesome and disturbing. Especially when it resulted in a happy ending. Generally, having body parts eaten wouldn't be considered a good thing...Not my favorite.
July 12, 2015
This book is messed up!
September 6, 2012
It had great storytime potential... until a big bird comes and eats their tails. I found that a little jarring... and I think little kids would, too. But, parts of it are super cute. Two lonely worms get tangled up and can't separate, so they learn to share and do everything together. Until that bird thing. Then, they don't have to be together... but, they decide to get married and be together anyways.
November 17, 2013
This simple tale of friendship is perfect for story time and will appeal to toddler and preschool audiences. The book has heavy-weight, thick paper pages. The illustrations are reminiscent of Eric Carle's style, with lots of bright colors and simple designs. It also has a couple of lift-flap pages and a couple of pages with die-cut holes.
March 19, 2018
Storytime Preschool. This is a great story written by Petr Horáček. It is the story of two worms who end up fighting, becoming entangled, and learning to share. A bird almost eats them, separates them by biting them (yikes!). Jonathan and Martha are separated but they realize that they still want to be together! It is implied that both worms marry at the end!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2017
What a very strange little book! The language is simple and the illustrations are enhanced with little cutouts and variations in page shape. The ending is rather violent though when the worms get their tails eaten off.
September 29, 2016
Really lovely book. Would be good to teach children about getting along with each other
September 29, 2017
I liked it, the worms had to get along.
April 11, 2019
As a grownup, the transition from "hello stranger" to "hello I must fight you" seems to come out of nowhere, and the knot that twists Jonathan and Martha together seems... disconcerting. Particularly since Jonathan is the aggressor and then neither can escape. As a kid, I think the fight over the pear would probably read as completely rational, and the forced sharing is probably a lot like when grownups insist that you share even when you don't want to.
I mean, yay sharing. And the illustrations are bold and exciting.
I mean, yay sharing. And the illustrations are bold and exciting.
March 23, 2018
This book's illustrations and pages are HIGHLY reminiscent of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. But that's not even why I don't like it. This is a weird book about two worms who fight and get tied up in a knot together, so they have to do everything together, even though they don't want to. A big bird comes and eats their tails (which is pretty gruesome), freeing them from one another, but by that point they like each other and end up getting married. Trying way too hard to be cute; this book is annoying, weird, and kind of gross. If you want a book about worm marriage (and who wouldn't?), Worm Loves Worm is a much better bet!
March 25, 2019
What a bizarre book. I can't decide if it's creepy or hilarious.
It is the sitcom scenario of being handcuffed to the person you hate, if it were told by a child. And the longer I write this review the more I am coming around to this book.
It could have used more pages to flesh out this story, but I always enjoy Petr Horáček's art.
It is the sitcom scenario of being handcuffed to the person you hate, if it were told by a child. And the longer I write this review the more I am coming around to this book.
It could have used more pages to flesh out this story, but I always enjoy Petr Horáček's art.
October 24, 2022
Not my favorite; the worms meet each other and decide to fight each other (why?), and the worms entanglement is resolved by a bird biting off their tails. My husband and I both felt that it had sexual undertones, but I didn't feel that it was objectional enough to completely avoid it in the future. However, when there are so many other books to read, this fairly weird book seems unnecessary to revisit.
February 28, 2024
Yes, Pete Horacek is one of my favorite illustrators, especially for his brilliant bold use of color.
However, this title is a NO, just NO as at first glance this title appears to be an Eric Carle title with the half eaten pear as well as the several die cuts used within the text.
I did love the beautiful watermelon with the flap that illustrates the interior meat of the melon. Also the two illustrations of the crow both of which are double page spreads were gorgeous.
.
However, this title is a NO, just NO as at first glance this title appears to be an Eric Carle title with the half eaten pear as well as the several die cuts used within the text.
I did love the beautiful watermelon with the flap that illustrates the interior meat of the melon. Also the two illustrations of the crow both of which are double page spreads were gorgeous.
.
July 25, 2018
Found this while trying to find sharing books for SS and SD. Both hubby and I were on the eyebrow-raised side of the book. But we kept it around and it get picked 2 or 3 times to be read as a family. So I guess the kids liked it.
September 9, 2017
2.5 stars. The story is a bit weird, but the illustrations are bright and colourful so they work great for toddlers.
December 24, 2017
Sweet, good message. perfect for read-aloud
December 27, 2017
It would be great children´s book...but the bird just leaves me speachless.
May 9, 2018
Two worms who live on either side of the same tree have never met. what happens when they do? cute and a great love story. preschool and up
October 26, 2018
Big, bright, fun and terrific book for storytimes, family stories or those learning to read as the text is simple. I hope there are more adventures featuring Jonathan and Martha. :-)
May 10, 2019
May 2019 - simple text and bold illustrations, with a story that stops Ben in his tracks!
July 11, 2019
This is a very quick story of two worms who find each other in a pear.
December 25, 2019
Niečo, čo vám zaručene roztopí srdce a vyčaruje úsmev na tvári... Veľmi milé 💛
February 6, 2020
Heel leuk prentenboek. Stevige pagina's met uitsnijdingen voor interessante effecten, kleurrijke mooie tekeningen, en opwekkend verhaal. Onze baby was er in ieder geval heel sterk door geboeid.
October 4, 2021
The book is so heartwarming but I thought at first it was Eric Carle's. some details seem to be taken from the caterpillar book, the same style as well!
May 6, 2024
A worm love story? My favorite kind of love story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews