Born on March 20th, 1916, Kansas, USA

Died on August 11th, 2004, Texas, USA

Bill was an American of more than 300 children's books including 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.