MARTHA SPEAKS GOES TO WASHINGTON JUST IN TIME FOR PRESIDENTS' DAY
White House Special Premieres Monday, February 15 on PBS KIDS®
What is a president? What is a nation? What does it mean to be appointed to a cabinet? On Presidents' Day, Monday, February 15 (check local listings), the acclaimed PBS KIDS series Martha Speaks heads to the White House to find out, and to help the new President find the perfect pet for the First Family.
Currently in its second season on PBS KIDS, Martha Speaks is a vocabulary-rich children's series that features the adventures of a dog who found her voice in a bowl of alphabet soup. In this special, two-part episode, the newly inaugurated President of the United States is looking for a dog to live in the White House, and Martha knows the perfect candidate for the job. What better way to recommend some of her neighborhood pals than to put in a few calls to the White House herself? Then the tables turn, and the President is calling Martha! One of his aides hears about her speaking ability and asks her to report to the White House immediately. But why does the President want Martha? Is there a top-secret cat conspiracy? As they enjoy Martha's adventures in the Oval Office and are introduced to First Dog "Chessie," kids will learn such vocabulary words as neighborhood, debating, and volunteer, in addition to learning more about the series' themes of pet adoption and animal advocacy.
In addition to the White House special, four new Martha Speaks episodes will premiere during the week of Presidents' Day, February 15-19. These episodes find Martha and her friends learning a hearty batch of new words ranging from schedule and articulate to astronaut and enunciate. They'll also discover why it's important to care for the environment, and how hazardous materials in the yard can make not only the environment sick, but dogs, too! Other new episodes feature Martha turning to Mexican alphabet soup to help a friend with her Spanish class presentation and dreaming of becoming an Alaskan sled dog after hearing the story of Balto, a truly heroic fellow canine. The full week's schedule of all new episodes includes:
Monday, February 15 - "Martha in the White House"
Tuesday, February 16 - "The Jakey Express/Martha, Sled Dog"
Wednesday, February 17 - "Paws and Effect/The Trouble with Teddy"
Thursday, February 18 - "¿Qué Pasa, Martha? /TD Is Talking Dog"
Friday, February 19 - "Dogs in Space/Dogs from Space"
Check local listings at www.pbskids.org for exact airdates and times.
Photo: All characters and underlying materials from the "Martha" booksTM and ©Susan Meddaugh.
All other characters and underlying materialsTM and © 2009 WGBH.