Bill Martin Jr.
Recognized in the Creative Minds Montessori 2026 Teacher’s Choice list.
Bill Martin Jr. is one of roughly one hundred authors whose work was selected by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori for the 2026 Teacher’s Choice list — 120 books chosen across four reading stages, from first lap-reads to first chapter books. The selected book was chosen for how precisely it meets children at a real developmental moment. This recognition cannot be bought: no author or publisher paid to appear on our lists, and we take no commission on any book sale.
About Bill Martin Jr.
Bill Martin Jr. (1916–2004) was a Texas-born teacher and reading evangelist who wrote more than 300 books built on chant, rhythm, and predictability — the tools that let pre-readers 'read' along. He held a doctorate in early childhood education and spent his life arguing that the sound of language teaches reading before the letters do.
Martin barely read as a child and got through school on memory and listening — an experience that shaped everything he later wrote. He composed Brown Bear, Brown Bear on a commuter train in fifteen minutes, and a young ad artist named Eric Carle answered the call to illustrate it; the collaboration launched both careers.
Also by this author: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom · Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? · Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
Official legacy site: www.billmartinjr.com
Selected for the 2026 Teacher’s Choice list
Part of The Best Children’s Books by Age, chosen by the teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX.