Bill Martin Jr

William Ivan Martin Jr. , March 20, 1916 – August 11, 2004 was an American educator, publishing executive, and author of more than 300 children’s books including award-winning books like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (co-authored with John Archambault), The Sounds of Mystery, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?, Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?, and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (all collaborated with illustrator Eric Carle). The Bill Martin Jr. Award, which is the Kansas state award for best children’s picture book, was established in his honour in 1996.

Martin Jr. was born and raised in Hiawatha, Kansas. His father was a paperhanger and his mother was a housewife, and was one of 5 brothers. He had difficulty reading until he went to college, at the Kansas State Teacher’s College in Emporia, Kansas. There he memorised poems that a teacher read aloud in class, and was then able to relate the words to what was on the page. Enthusiastic about helping other children learn to read by “[having] language inside of themselves,” he went on to earn a doctorate in early childhood education from Northwestern University in 1961. After graduating with his bachelor’s degree, Martin taught journalism, drama, and English at high schools in Newton and St. John, Kansas. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Force as a newspaper editor and wrote his first book. In 1972, he became a full-time writer.

Alongside the illustrator Eric Carle, Martin Jr. writes poetic books he wished he had access to as a student. His use of simplistic and rhythmic language helps students transition from reading to writing in the early stages of education. Before Martin begins writing a book, he establishes a rhythm which is then repeated throughout the book. American author and illustrator Steven Kellogg describes Martin’s purpose for writing his children’s poetry books, is to expose “children to the ‘music of language’. Martin believes the cheerful rhythm resonates with children, even if they do not understand the content. He believed in instilling interest in children and helping them remember new words through rhythm and repetition. Michael Sampson, with whom Martin Jr wrote several books, said: “Poetry allowed him to become a reader – if he could hear it, he could read it. And as a writer, Bill worked with his ear. How his writing sounded was the most important thing. Poetry was his mentor. It inspired and guided him. He was one of the first children’s book authors to promote his books by touring schools and bookstores. At these appearances, he read aloud to the children, often with music and dancing.

Martin Jr. was also active as an educational speaker and with Sampson, conducted annual workshops for educators called Pathways to Literacy that eventually trained over 50,000 teachers at 30 sites throughout the US.