Books by Bill Martin, Jr. and Complete Book Reviews

John Archambault, Author, Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Jr. Martin, Author Little Simon $9.99 (16p) ISBN 978-0-689-87820-6
For smallest hands, book-based entertainment abounds. Fans of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom can shake a tiny maraca to the beat of ""A told B and B told C, l'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree"" with the Chicka Chicka ABC Board Book & Rattle by...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Martin & Martin, Author, Jr. Martin, Author Little Simon $8.99 (12p) ISBN 978-0-689-80096-2
It's A and B and the rest of the Chicka Chicka gang-plus a colorful set of reusable, vinyl alphabet stickers in Little Simon's Chicka Chicka Sticka Sticka: An ABC Sticker Book by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illus. by Lois Ehlert (Little...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Michael Sampson, Joint Author, Heather Cahoon, Illustrator , illus. by Heather Cahoon. Holt $15.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-6304-2
Rather than admonish children to eat their vegetables, Martin and Sampson (previously paired for Swish!) urge youngsters to give this food group a listen. An okra, onion and a trio of broccoli trees kick off the party as the vegetables join with the
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Michael Sampson, Joint Author, Pat Corrigan, Illustrator Winslowhouse International $16.95 (40p) ISBN 978-1-890817-90-9
Bill Martin Jr. pairs up with Michael Sampson to create a sparkling, shorter version of Martin's first book, The Little Squeegy Bug, a warm story about identity and belonging, published 51 years ago. Newcomer Patrick Corrigan contributes ...
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Bill Martin Jr., illus. by Lois Ehlert. S&S/Beach Lane, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4424-3385-4
Originally issued in 1967 with different illustrations, Martin's caterpillar counting rhyme has been given new life with gorgeous and bold watercolor collages from his Chicka Chicka Boom Boom collaborator, Ehlert. Readers can't be blamed for seeing...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, John Archambault, Author, Ted Rand, Illustrator Henry Holt & Company $14.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-0681-0
One by one, the children choose from a plethora of handsome steeds: horses, zebras, ostriches, boars and bears, assembled in the ring of a merry-go-round. Rand's luscious watercolor technique adds to the momentum of the swirling merry-go-round, a...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, John Archambault, Author, Ted Rand, Illustrator Henry Holt & Company $7.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-1168-5
winning collaboration, which portrays assorted body parts and their uses. Ages 2-6. (Oct.)
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, John Archambault, Author, Ted Rand, Illustrator Henry Holt & Company $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-0328-4
A surprising celebration of physiological parts and their uses that includes: ""Here are my hands for catching and throwing. Here are my feet for stopping and going. . . . Here is my elbow, my arm, and my chin. And here is my skin that bundles me in.
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, John Archambault, Author, Ted Rand, Illustrator Henry Holt & Company $7.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-0799-2
An ordinary evening becomes a festival of foot-stompin' good fun when neighbors gather at a barn dance. A Reading Rainbow selection. Ages 5-8. (March)
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Michael Sampson, Author, Paul Meisel, Illustrator , illus. by Paul Meisel. S&S/Aladdin $6.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4169-0262-1
Counting and word games result when a trick-or-treater makes the rounds of his 10-story apartment building. In PW 's words, "The expertly cadenced inside-out wordplay could prove habit-forming." Ages 4-8. (Aug.)
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Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson, illus. by Brian Won. Scholastic Press, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-545-77643-1
Using a rhythm that’s a “modified variation” of the clapping game “Down Down Baby” (according to an endnote), Sampson—who was the late Martin’s longtime collaborator—motivates kids to get off their duffs and get moving, especially as a prelude to...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Michael Sampson, Author, Lois Ehlert, Illustrator , illus. by Lois Ehlert. S&S $15.95 (40p) ISBN 978-0-689-85881-9
Martin and Sampson (co-authors of I Pledge Allegiance) and Ehlert present an exuberant follow-up to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (which Martin wrote with John Archambault, and Ehlert illustrated in 1989). Here numbers take over an apple tree, rather...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Michael Sampson, Author, Michael D. Chesworth, Illustrator Henry Holt & Company $15.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-4498-0
Martin (Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?) teams up with Sampson (The Football That Won) for this account of a girls' championship basketball game between the Cardinals and the Blue Jays. As the seconds tick away, girls pass, dribble and...
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Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson, illus. by Laura J. Bryant, Marshall Cavendish, $15.99 (24p) ISBN 978-0-7614-5946-0
In this cheerful follow-up to Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Waking Up? a rambunctious gray kitty has plenty of excuses for not getting ready for bed, despite Mother's persistence. When she inquires, "Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat,/ did you wash your face?"...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Michael Sampson, Author, Patrick Corrigan, Illustrator , illus. by Patrick Corrigan. Cavendish $5.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7614-5243-0
"The authors offer a sparkling, shorter version of Martin's first book, a warm story about identity and belonging," wrote PW . Ages 3-7. (Sept.)
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Michael Sampson, Author, Jr. Martin, Author , illus. by Paul Meisel. S&S $14.95 (40p) ISBN 978-0-689-84968-8
Counting and word games result when a trick-or-treater makes the rounds of his 10-story apartment building. On his way upstairs, the junior Dracula gets Licorice Twists, Chocolate Sticks and so forth, but, on the top floor, a gleeful neighbor in...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Eric Carle, Illustrator Henry Holt & Company $49.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-7628-8
Brown Bear, Brown Bear fans will rejoice to discover the Brown Bear & Friends Gift Set by Bill Martin Jr, illus. by Eric Carle, under wrapping paper this fall. Three hardcover books plus a poster that integrates the starring trio come in a handsome...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Eric Carle, Illustrator , illus. by Eric Carle. Holt $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-8336-1
These clever creators’ final collaboration arrives 40 years after their first, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? , joining two previous bear sequels. Much in the same vein as its predecessors, this appealingly cadenced story introduces...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Eric Carle, Illustrator, Eric Carle, Joint Author , illus. by Eric Carle. Holt $15.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-1758-8
More than 35 years ago, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? introduced two men who are now giants in the children's book field, Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle. Two years ago they collaborated on Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?,...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Eric Carle, Illustrator, Henry Green, Illustrator Henry Holt & Company $16.99 (28p) ISBN 978-0-8050-1759-5
It's been 25 years since these two talented men put their heads together, but the fruit of their latest collaboration is well worth the wait. Continuing in the spirit of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? , their new book incorporates the same
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Ted Rand, Illustrator, John Archambault, With Henry Holt & Company $7.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-5479-8
A Native American grandfather tells a blind boy the inspirational story of the child's birth. ""A rich tale of intergenerational love and respect... that reverberates long after the book is closed,"" PW wrote. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Steven Kellogg, Illustrator Silver Whistle Books $17 (40p) ISBN 978-0-15-201683-8
""Nick's Tricks and Hank's Pranks, Incorporated"" are the words painted on the side of a truck rolling through the forest on the front endpaper of this mischievous caper; mice Nick and Hank themselves surface on the title page, offering observant...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Steven Kellogg, Illustrator . Harcourt/Voyager $7 (40p) ISBN 978-0-15-216560-4
Four wide-eyed mice enter a dark, dark house in a dark, dark wood, in this not-so-scary tale that also teaches colors. "A high-spirited balance of concept book and adventure tale," noted PW. Ages 3-7.(Sept.)
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, John Archambault, Joint Author, Ted Rand, Illustrator Henry Holt & Company $17.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-0571-4
Gathered near a campfire under a canopy of stars, a Navaho Indian boy hears the tale of his birth from his grandfather. Born on a windy night, the child was weak and frail. In the early morning, Grandfather brought him out to meet the morning. Two...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, John Archambault, Joint Author, Lois Ehlert, Illustrator Little Simon $15.95 (22p) ISBN 978-0-689-85026-4
Children can act out ""A told B/ and B told C,/ `I'll meet you at the top/ of the coconut tree' "" with the magnets included in the Chicka Chicka ABC Magnet Book by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illus. by Lois Ehlert. The spiralbound...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, John Archambault, Joint Author, Lois Ehlert, Illustrator Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-671-67949-1
In this bright and lively rhyme, the letters of the alphabet race each other to the top of the coconut tree. When X, Y and Z finally scramble up the trunk, however, the weight is too much, and down they all tumble in a colorful chaotic heap: ``Chicka
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, John Archambault, Joint Author, Robert J. Lee, Illustrator Henry Holt & Company $16.95 (0p) ISBN 978-0-8050-1134-0
A deceptively simple text with a lyrical rhythm describes a pear-shaped pumpkin growing in a garden, who unexpectedly whispers that he'll protect the yard from the ``foolies.'' Soon a face is carved, with an eerily grinning mouth ``which came to...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, James Endicott, Illustrator Henry Holt & Company $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-0682-7
The text and art of this striking picture book seem at odds, but only at first glance. Martin and Archambault's rhythmical and onomatopoetic language playfully describes the sound of rainfrom the beginning ``slow soft sprinkle, / the drip-drop...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Vladimir Radunsky, Illustrator Henry Holt & Company $17.95 (44p) ISBN 978-0-8050-1746-5
Radunsky's (The Pup Grew Up!; Hail to the Mail) stylized, hand-colored, cut-paper art triumphantly illustrates Martin's (Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?) playful paean to adverbs. At center stage is a clown-like creature, ``The Maestro,''...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Vladimir Radunsky, Illustrator , illus. by Vladimir Radunsky. Harcourt $16 (32p) ISBN 978-0-15-205725-1
Flame-orange light shines through a die-cut keyhole, punched through the cover and several pages of this otherwise uninspired book. A dozen mice, all designated "Mrs." (no Misters are in sight), notice the glowing keyhole from inside a dark,
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Vladimir Radunsky, Illustrator, Valdimir Radunsky, Illustrator Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P $6 (0p) ISBN 978-0-15-201217-5
""Stylized, hand-colored, cut-paper art triumphantly illustrates this playful paean to adverbs,"" said PW in a starred review. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Chris Raschka, Illustrator, Michael Sampson, Commentaries by , illus. by Chris Raschka. Candlewick $6.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-7636-2527-6
"This cleverly designed volume spells out the concrete meaning behind the words in the Pledge of Allegiance while deftly communicating the democratic spirit and principles that inspired it," PW wrote. Ages 6-9. (July)
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Francis Bellamy, Author, Michael Sampson, Author , illus. by Chris Raschka. Candlewick $15.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-7636-1648-9
Martin and Sampson's (previously teamed for Adam, Adam, What Do You See?) timely volume breaks the Pledge of Allegiance into digestible phrases or words and explains their meaning along with some history. Raschka's artwork makes a felicitous
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Betsy Everitt, Illustrator Harcourt Children's Books $14 (40p) ISBN 978-0-15-233380-5
Martin ( Chicka Chicka Boom Boom ) and Everitt ( Frida the Wondercat ) introduce some hippos who just wanna have fun, and they certainly have precisely that on their ``hippoholiday'' at the beach. Playful rhymed couplets describe how the hippopotami
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Richard Egielski, Illustrator Voyager Paperbacks $6 (32p) ISBN 978-0-15-202063-7
PW called the ""slapstick humor and fast-paced action"" of this spin on an old rhyme ""a five-alarm delight."" Ages 2-6. (Apr.)
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Richard Egielski, Illustrator Harcourt Children's Books $16 (32p) ISBN 978-0-15-227562-4
The slapstick humor and fast-paced action of this version of an old rhyme begin immediately on the cover: ""Fire! Fire!"" shouts the title as the WXYZ Helicopter news team spots the smoke. In signature rhymed verse, one line per page, Martin...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Alex Schaefer, Illustrator Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P $14.95 (0p) ISBN 978-0-15-298926-2
Aided by his assistants--a frolicsome frog, an albino rat and a green gnome--a wizard prepares to cast a spell, reciting all the while. ``I dance. I sing. I twinkle. I wing,'' he proclaims, maneuvering acrobatically around his workshop until he...
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Alex Schaefer, Illustrator Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P $6 (36p) ISBN 978-0-15-201568-8
Chanting in rhymes, a wizard prepares to cast a spell in Martin's (see review of Swish!, p. 200) ""high energy, if slight, romp,"" said PW, noting that Schaefer's oils are ""so full of activity that they fairly zip off the page."" Ages 3-8. (Aug.)
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Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Bernard Martin, Joint Author, Steven Salerno, Illustrator Winslowhouse International $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-890817-31-2
One of Bill Martin's (Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?) lesser efforts, this incoherent tale features a rooster named Chuck who swallows a blue seed one day and sprouts a blue feather in the middle of his forehead. He proclaims himself the...
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Michael Sampson, Author, Bill Martin, Jr., Author, Cathy Felstead, Illustrator Thomas Nelson Publishers $14.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8499-7614-8
Adapting the structure and rhythms of Martin's classic Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? to Christian themes, Martin and Sampson (Star of the Circus) offer young children a friendly, age-appropriate introduction to biblical figures and...
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