From:
http://www.billmartin.comBill Martin Jr truly was "America's favorite children's author." He wrote for almost 60 years (Yes, his first book, The Little Squeegy Bug--The Story of the Firefly, was published in 1945). He was the author of the classic text Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do you See?, which was illustrated by his dear friend Eric Carle, as well as more than 300 other books for children.
Bill Martin lived the last 11 years of his life in the east Texas woods near Commerce, Texas. A Kansas native, Bill graduated with a teaching certificate from Emporia State University. He taught in Kansas and was an elementary school principal in Chicago before he moved to New York City in 1961 to work for Holt, Rinehart and Winston, where he developed the literature-based reading programs Sounds of Language and The Instant Readers. Seven years later, Bill left Holt and launched his career as a writer of children's book and as a consultant to teachers. He lived in New York until 1993, when he moved to Texas.
From author's bio in book:
Bill Martin Jr (1916-2004) wrote children's books for more than thirty years. He earned a Ph.D. in early childhood education and was a proponent of using rhyme and rhythm to teach young children how to read.
