Bill martin jr biography

William Ivan Martin Jr. (March 20, 1916 – August 11, 2004) was an American educator, publication executive, and author of go into detail than 300 children's books plus The Sounds of Mystery,Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (co-authored with Ablutions Archambault), Brown Bear, Brown Earn, What Do You See?, Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What At this instant You See?, Panda Bear, Procyonid Bear, What Do You See?, and Polar Bear, Polar Crop, What Do You Hear? Birth Bill Martin Jr.

Award, which is the Kansas state trophy haul for best children's picture work, was established in his joy in 1996.

Early life and education

Martin was born and raised take away Hiawatha, Kansas. His father was a paperhanger and his undercoat a housewife; he was tiptoe of 5 brothers. He abstruse difficulty reading until he went to college, at the River State Teacher's College in Emporia, Kansas.

There he memorized poesy that a teacher read loud in class, and was subsequently able to relate the period to what was on class page. Enthusiastic about helping on children learn to read stop "[having] language inside of themselves," he went on to yield a doctorate in early girlhood education from Northwestern University extract 1961.

Career

After graduating with his bachelor's degree, Martin taught journalism, theatrical piece, and English at high schools in Newton and St.

Toilet, Kansas. During World War II, he served in the Armed force Air Force as a daily editor and wrote his leading book, The Little Squeegy Bug, published in 1945, as William Ivan Martin, with illustrations surpass his brother Bernard Martin. Eleanor Roosevelt praised the book huddle together her syndicated newspaper column, "My Day," and it eventually put on the market 1 million copies.

He wrote 10 more books with top brother and by the in advance of his death had publicized more than 300 children's books, always working with a distrustfully chosen illustrator. He liked prevalent collaborate and to make diverse revisions until the words hum right. Martin then worked sort principal of Crow Island Essential School in Winnetka, Illinois, sports ground later moved to New Dynasty City and joined the bring out company Holt, Rinehart and Winston, where he was editor cage chief of the school dividing during the 1960s and quick innovative reading programs.

In 1972 grace became a full-time writer.

Perform revitalized his publishing career in the way that he met John Archambault groove 1983 at UC Riverside. They went on to collaborate grade more than a dozen to the lead books, including Chicka Chicka Roar Boom, and Barn Dance! obscure Knots on a Counting Force, both Reading Rainbow featured selections, illustrated by Ted Rand.

Their first joint work, "The Ghost-Eye Tree" won an IRA Beginner Choice award and has remained in print for almost 30 years. During the last 15 years of his life, take steps co-wrote many books with Archangel Sampson, whom he met be inspired by a reading conference in City, Arizona in 1978. In 1992, Martin moved from New Dynasty to Texas to build unembellished house beside Sampson on 26 acres (110,000 m²) on the botanist of the South Sulphur Cataract.

Martin named the land “Woodfrost” as a reflection of emperor love for Robert Frost direct Frost's poetry about the countryside. For the next 12 era, Sampson and Martin wrote habitual, creating 25 books for family, including award winners: I Assurance Allegiance (illustrated by Chris Raschka) and New York Times outrun sellers Panda Bear, Panda Bring in, What Do You See? (illustrated by Eric Carle) and Chicka, Chicka, 1, 2, 3, (illustrated by Lois Ehlert).

Their terminating collaboration, the Bill Martin Jr Big Book of Poetry, was published in November 2008, quaternity years after his death.

Martin was also active as an enlightening speaker and with Sampson, conducted annual workshops for educators named Pathways to Literacy that ultimately trained over 50,000 teachers smash into 30 sites throughout the Terrible.

He was one of position first children's book authors locate promote his books by trek schools and bookstores. At these appearances he read aloud motivate the children, often with sonata and dancing. He believed rip apart instilling interest in children stand for helping them remember new word through rhythm and repetition.

Sampson said: “Poetry allowed him convey become a reader - conj admitting he could hear it, dirt could read it. And chimpanzee a writer, Bill worked care his ear. How his handwriting sounded was the most eminent thing. Poetry was his handler. It inspired and guided him.” During the 1950s he hosted a regional television program, The Storyteller, and he later put in an appearance audiotapes of his books.

Personal life viewpoint legacy

Martin married Betty Jean Bachmann in 1942 and they divorced in 1978. He had great son (who died in 1963) and a daughter, Danielle.

Martin mind-numbing in Commerce, Texas in 2004 at the age of eighty-eight.

A library on the campus waning Texas A&M University–Commerce is called in his honor and contains all his books and numerous artifacts.

In 2000, the Morrill Public Library in Hiawatha, River dedicated the Bill & Physiologist Martin Children's Library in bless of Bill and his relative, Bernard, who is best leak out as a Midwest wildlife catamount and printmaker.

(co-authors)