Bill Martin, Jr. (1916-2004) was an
elementary-school principal, teacher, writer, and poet. His more
than 300 books, among them the bestselling classics Brown Bear,
Brown Bear, What Do You See?; Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You
Hear?; Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?; and
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, are a testament to his ability to
speak directly to children. Martin held a doctoral degree in early
childhood education. Born in Kansas, he worked as an
elementary-school principal in Chicago before moving to New York
City, where he worked in publishing developing innovative reading
programs for schools. After several years, he devoted himself
full-time to writing his children's books. He lived in New York
until 1993, when he moved to Texas. He lived in the east Texas
woods, near the town of Commerce, until he passed away in
2004.
Eric Carle is one of America''s leading
children''s book illustrators. In addition to the classic
children''s books he created with Bill Martin, Jr., he is author
and illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.