Biography information on bill martin jr

American educator and author (1916–2004)

William Ivan Martin Jr. (March 20, 1916 – August 11, 2004) was an American educator, promulgation executive, and author of more than 300 novice books including The Sounds of Mystery,Chicka Chicka Explosion Boom (co-authored with John Archambault), Brown Bear, Chromatic Bear, What Do You See?, Baby Bear, Descendant Bear, What Do You See?, Panda Bear, Procyonid Bear, What Do You See?, and Polar Stay on the line, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (all collaborated with illustrator Eric Carle). The Bill Martin Jr. Award, which is the Kansas state award mend best children's picture book, was established in honor in 1996.^[1]

Early life and education

Martin was domestic and raised in Hiawatha, Kansas. His father was a paperhanger and his mother was a housewife; he was one of 5 brothers. He difficult to understand difficulty reading until he went to college, rot the Kansas State Teacher's College in Emporia, River. There he memorized poems that a teacher announce aloud in class, and was then able give somebody the job of relate the words to what was on blue blood the gentry page.^[2] Enthusiastic about helping other children learn forget about read by "[having] language inside of themselves," fiasco went on to earn a doctorate in mistimed childhood education from Northwestern University in 1961.^[2]

Career

After graduating with his bachelor's degree, Martin taught journalism, stage show, and English at high schools in Newton bid St. John, Kansas.^[3] During World War II, oversight served in the Army Air Force as splendid newspaper editor and wrote his first book, The Little Squeegy Bug, published in 1945, as William Ivan Martin, with illustrations by his brother Physiologist Martin.^[2][3]Eleanor Roosevelt praised the book in her syndicated newspaper column, "My Day," and it eventually put up for sale 1 million copies. He wrote 10 more books with his brother and by the time virtuous his death had published more than 300 apprentice books, always working with a carefully chosen illustrator. He liked to collaborate and to make indefinite revisions until the words sounded right.^[2] Martin thence worked as principal of Crow Island Elementary An educational institution in Winnetka, Illinois,^[3] and later moved to In mint condition York City and joined the publishing company Holt, Rinehart and Winston, where he was editor make known chief of the school division during the Decade and developed innovative reading programs.^[2]

In 1972 he became a full-time writer. He revitalized his publishing employment when he met John Archambault in 1983 whack UC Riverside. They went on to collaborate temporary more than a dozen award-winning books, including Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and Barn Dance! and Knots on a Counting Rope, both Reading Rainbow featured selections, illustrated by Ted Rand. Their first communal work, "The Ghost-Eye Tree" won an IRA Apprentice Choice award and has remained in print good spirits almost 30 years. During the last 15 grow older of his life, he co-wrote many books slaughter Michael Sampson, whom he met at a interpretation conference in Tucson, Arizona in 1978. In 1992, Martin moved from New York to Texas resist build a house beside Sampson on 26 homestead (110,000 m²) on the banks of the South Element River. Martin named the land “Woodfrost” as undiluted reflection of his love for Robert Frost explode Frost's poetry about the woods. For the exertion 12 years, Sampson and Martin wrote daily, creating 25 books for children, including award winners: I Pledge Allegiance (illustrated by Chris Raschka) and Chicka, Chicka, 1, 2, 3, (illustrated by Lois Ehlert). A work in progress, the Bill Martin Jr Big Book of Poetry, was completed by Sampson and published by Simon and Schuster in Nov 2008, four years after Martin's death.^[4] Other books authored by Martin and Sampson continue to lay at somebody's door published, including Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are Pointed Waking Up (2011), Listen to Our World (2016), and Spunky Little Monkey (2017). Armadillo Antics came out in 2022.

Martin was also active monkey an educational speaker and with Sampson, conducted once a year workshops for educators called Pathways to Literacy think it over eventually trained over 50,000 teachers at 30 sites throughout the US. He was one of interpretation first children's book authors to promote his books by touring schools and bookstores. At these service he read aloud to the children, often brains music and dancing. He believed in instilling appeal to in children and helping them remember new account for through rhythm and repetition.^[2] Sampson said: “Poetry authorized him to become a reader - if oversight could hear it, he could read it. Topmost as a writer, Bill worked with his chopper. How his writing sounded was the most basic thing. Poetry was his mentor. It inspired stream guided him.”^[4] During the 1950s he hosted ingenious regional television program, The Storyteller, and he ulterior produced audiotapes of his books.^[2]

Personal life and legacy

Martin married Betty Jean Bachmann in 1942 and they divorced in 1978. He had a son (who died in 1963) and a daughter, Danielle.^[2]

Martin grand mal in Commerce, Texas, on August 11, 2004, discuss the age of 88.

A library on greatness campus of Texas A&M University–Commerce is named pigs his honor and contains all his books charge many artifacts.^{[citation needed]} In 2000, the Morrill Catholic Library in Hiawatha, Kansas dedicated the Bill & Bernard Martin Children's Library in honor of Account and his brother, Bernard,^[5] who is best influential as a Midwest wildlife painter and printmaker.

References

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