James Marshall Books: Friendship, Fairy Tales & Laugh-Out-Loud Classics
Sometimes the simplest-looking books contain remarkably sophisticated humor.
That is certainly true of James Marshall.
Born October 10, 1942, Marshall created books filled with expressive illustrations, wonderfully flawed characters, understated jokes, and situations that children recognize immediately.
His most famous creations, George and Martha, navigate the complications of friendship. His versions of traditional fairy tales give familiar stories a decidedly Marshall twist. And as an illustrator, he helped create unforgettable characters such as Miss Nelson, Viola Swamp, and the spectacularly foolish Stupid family.
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Marshall’s books are primarily written for younger children, so this list is strongest in the picture-book and elementary sections. Rather than forcing titles into middle- and high-school categories, we’ll also look at ways older students can use his work to study illustration, humor, adaptation, and children’s literature.
Picture Books & Primary Grades
George and Martha — James Marshall
Fiction / Friendship
Two hippos named George and Martha are best friends—but they don’t always get along.
The original book contains five short stories that explore friendship, with plenty of humor along the way. Marshall went on to create seven original George and Martha collections.
Beneath the humor are surprisingly thoughtful lessons about honesty, privacy, feelings, kindness, and what it means to be a friend.
Possible uses: Friendship, social-emotional learning, short stories, character development, beginning readers
Try this: After reading a story, ask:
What friendship rule did George and Martha learn?
Students might suggest:
- Don’t embarrass your friends.
- Respect their privacy.
- Tell the truth kindly.
- Apologize when you’re wrong.
- Friends don’t have to like everything the same.
Create a class George & Martha Guide to Friendship from their answers.
George and Martha Encore — James Marshall
Fiction / Friendship
George and Martha return for another collection of short adventures.
These stories’ brevity makes them especially useful for read-alouds when library time is limited.
Possible uses: Friendship, inference, humor, character study
Try this: Stop just before the final page or punch line and ask students to predict how Marshall will resolve the situation.
George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends — James Marshall
Fiction / Collection
For libraries that want the entire George and Martha experience in one place, this collection brings together all seven original books.
Library idea: Put it on display with a sign:
ARE GEORGE & MARTHA GOOD FRIENDS?
Let students vote YES or NO—and require them to give evidence from one of the stories.
Miss Nelson Is Missing! — Harry Allard, illustrated by James Marshall
Fiction / School Story
The students in Room 207 are badly behaved and don’t appreciate their kind teacher, Miss Nelson.
Then Miss Nelson disappears.
Her replacement is the terrifying Miss Viola Swamp—and suddenly the children discover exactly how much they miss their teacher.
Marshall’s wonderfully exaggerated illustrations are a huge part of the joke. The book was followed by Miss Nelson Is Back, and Miss Nelson Has a Field Day.
Possible uses: School stories, behavior, appreciation, inference, author-versus-illustrator studies
Try this: Ask students to become detectives.
What clues in the pictures help readers understand something that the children in Room 207 don’t?
That’s an excellent introduction to visual inference.
The Stupids Step Out — Harry Allard, illustrated by James Marshall
Fiction / Humor
The Stupid family does practically everything incorrectly—and that’s the joke.
Young readers love spotting everything wrong with the illustrations, from ridiculous household arrangements to the family’s completely backward reasoning.
Possible uses: Visual literacy, observation, humor, inference
Try this: Show students an illustration for 30 seconds and challenge them to identify as many silly or impossible details as they can.
Then ask a more interesting question:
Would the joke work without the pictures?
The Piggy in the Puddle — Charlotte Pomerantz, illustrated by James Marshall
Fiction / Rhyming Picture Book
A piggy is happily sitting in a muddy puddle while everyone tries to convince her to come out.
The rhythmic language makes this especially enjoyable aloud, while Marshall’s illustrations add to the escalating silliness.
Possible uses: Rhyme, repeated language, prediction, farm animals
Try this: Have younger students join in on repeated phrases as you read.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears — retold and illustrated by James Marshall
Fiction / Fairy Tale
Marshall takes the familiar Goldilocks story and gives it his unmistakable comic personality.
His version received a 1989 Caldecott Honor.
Possible uses: Fairy tales, fractured/retold tales, comparison, illustration studies
Try this: Read two different versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
Create a simple comparison:
| Same | Different |
| Characters | Illustrations |
| Basic problem | Dialogue |
| Setting | Humor |
| Ending | Character personalities |
Ask students which changes the illustrator can make even when the basic story remains the same.
Red Riding Hood — retold and illustrated by James Marshall
Fiction / Fairy Tale
Marshall brings his deadpan humor and distinctive illustrations to another familiar tale.
Possible uses: Fairy-tale comparison, character, point of view, illustration
Try this: Compare Marshall’s wolf with the wolf in another version. How does an illustrator make a character look frightening, ridiculous, suspicious, or funny?
The Three Little Pigs — retold and illustrated by James Marshall
Fiction / Fairy Tale
Marshall gives the familiar pigs and wolf a humorous treatment.
Possible uses: Fairy tales, engineering connections, story structure, comparison
Try this: Add a simple STEM challenge: build houses from paper, blocks, craft sticks, or other available materials and test their strength.
Hansel and Gretel — retold and illustrated by James Marshall
Fiction / Fairy Tale
Marshall’s interpretation of the Grimm story balances its traditional darker elements with his characteristic visual humor.
Possible uses: Traditional literature, fairy tales, comparing versions, illustration
Elementary Readers
The Fox Books — James Marshall
Fox thinks he is clever, sophisticated, and irresistible.
Reality doesn’t always cooperate.
The Fox books include titles such as:
- Fox and His Friends https://link.amazon/B00z79qKY
- Fox in Love https://link.amazon/B0e2zbNKq
- Fox on Wheels https://link.amazon/B00tRiaXz
- Fox at School https://link.amazon/B0eoGEwua
- Fox All Week https://link.amazon/B0d3z4qGP
- Fox on the Job https://link.amazon/B07c7Kw8E
- Fox Be Nimble https://link.amazon/B0eXb1bS4
- Fox Outfoxed https://link.amazon/B0dQBxa0I
- Fox on Stage https://link.amazon/B0cT8h6eD
Several were published in beginning-reader formats, making them particularly useful for children transitioning into independent reading.
Possible uses: Beginning readers, humor, character traits, series reading
Try this: Create a character chart:
Fox thinks he is… | Fox actually is…
Students will quickly discover that much of the humor comes from the difference.
The Cut-Ups — James Marshall
Fiction / Humor
Spud and Joe are two mischievous friends whose antics cause trouble wherever they go.
The adventures continued in books including The Cut-Ups Cut Loose, The Cut-Ups at Camp Custer, and The Cut-Ups Carry On.
Possible uses: Humor, friendship, consequences, series reading
Try this: Ask students to identify:
Action → Consequence
What did the characters do, and what happened as a result?
It’s reading comprehension disguised as a discussion of ridiculous behavior.
Three by the Sea — Edward Marshall, illustrated by James Marshall
Fiction / Stories Within a Story
Lolly, Sam, and Spider entertain themselves by telling stories while waiting to return to the water—but one story begins to feel a little too real.
Reading Rockets highlights the combination of deadpan language and Marshall’s line-and-wash illustrations.
Possible uses: Storytelling, imagination, stories within stories, visual literacy
Try this: Give students three random objects and challenge them to create a very short story incorporating all three.
Space Case — Edward Marshall, illustrated by James Marshall
Fiction / Science Fiction / Beginning Reader
An unexpected visitor from outer space leads to a humorous adventure.
Possible uses: Science fiction, beginning readers, prediction, imaginative writing
Try this: Ask students:
If an alien landed at your school, what three things would you show it to explain what school is like on Earth?
Don’t Marshall’s Fairy Tales & Nursery Rhymes
One of the easiest ways to turn a James Marshall author study into a larger literature lesson is to gather his traditional stories together.
In addition to Goldilocks, Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, and Hansel and Gretel, Marshall created James Marshall’s Mother Goose (https://link.amazon/B03lRKjbf) and Old Mother Hubbard and Her Wonderful Dog (https://link.amazon/B0fOUCyMI).
Display his versions beside older or newer interpretations.
Then ask:
How much can an illustrator change a story without changing the words?
Students can investigate:
- facial expressions
- clothing
- setting
- color
- body language
- visual jokes
- details not mentioned in the text
That makes Marshall especially useful for teaching visual literacy.
Middle School
James Marshall’s books were written primarily for younger readers, so I wouldn’t present them as middle-grade novels.
But middle-school students can do some surprisingly sophisticated work with them.
Study Humor in George and Martha
Give students one of Marshall’s short stories and ask:
Why is this funny?
That question is harder than it sounds.
Students can look for:
- exaggeration
- understatement
- surprise
- irony
- facial expressions
- awkward situations
- repetition
- mismatches between words and pictures
Then challenge them to create a one-page illustrated story using one of those techniques.
Compare Fairy-Tale Adaptations
Use Marshall’s Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Red Riding Hood, or The Three Little Pigs alongside other versions.
Students can investigate:
Original tale → Marshall’s version → Modern retelling
What remains constant?
What changes?
Who controls those changes—the author, adapter, illustrator, or all three?
Author vs. Illustrator
This becomes particularly interesting with Marshall because sometimes he did both jobs, while other times he illustrated another writer’s work.
Compare:
Written & illustrated by Marshall:
George and Martha
with
Written by Harry Allard / illustrated by Marshall:
Miss Nelson Is Missing!
Then ask students to identify what part of the storytelling belongs specifically to the illustrator.
High School
James Marshall’s work can also be surprisingly useful for high-school students studying art, illustration, education, writing, or children’s literature.
Study Visual Storytelling
Take away the text from a Marshall illustration.
What can students infer from:
- facial expressions?
- body positioning?
- composition?
- character placement?
- background details?
Then reverse the exercise.
Give students text from a children’s story without illustrations and have them plan what an illustrator would need to communicate visually.
Examine Adaptation
Fairy tales provide excellent source material for older students because no single modern author owns the underlying traditional story.
Students can compare Marshall’s Goldilocks or Red Riding Hood with historical and contemporary versions.
Ask:
When does a retelling become something new?
That can lead into discussions of adaptation, cultural storytelling, public-domain literature, parody, and artistic interpretation.
Create a James Marshall Library Challenge
A Marshall celebration could easily become a simple passive program.
Create four stations:
FRIENDSHIP
Read a George and Martha story.
MYSTERY
Look for clues in Miss Nelson Is Missing!
FAIRY TALES
Compare Marshall’s version with another version.
HUMOR
Find the funniest visual joke in a Marshall illustration.
Students could complete one challenge or all four.
For younger students, another option is a:
Find the Visual Joke Challenge
Photocopy or display selected pages where permitted for instructional use—or simply set out the books with page markers.
Ask students to find:
- something that doesn’t belong
- an exaggerated expression
- something a character doesn’t notice
- something ridiculous happening in the background
- a picture that makes the words funnier
It encourages children to discover that reading pictures is part of reading a book.
Celebrating James Marshall in the School Library
James Marshall’s books don’t rely on elaborate plots or lengthy explanations.
A raised eyebrow can tell the joke.
A ridiculous detail in the background can change the entire scene.
Two hippos can reveal something surprisingly true about friendship in only a few pages.
And a terrifying substitute teacher can make generations of children very grateful for Miss Nelson.
Marshall’s bibliography spans more than 75 works, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal ultimately recognized his contribution to children’s literature.
For librarians, however, perhaps his greatest strength is simpler: his books make children want to look closely, laugh, and read the story again.
That makes his October 10 birthday a wonderful excuse to introduce another generation of readers to George, Martha, Fox, Miss Nelson, Viola Swamp—and James Marshall’s delightfully funny world.
I have not read all of these books. Please preview them for yourself before adding them to your school library.
Read more Bibliography and Book List posts.
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