| Little Squeegy Bug RARE !! 1945 BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Born on March 20, 1916, in Hiawatha, Kansas, Martin received his first lessons in storytelling from his grandmother, who often recited tales about his family's history. After attending Kansas State Teachers College, Martin taught high school journalism, drama, and English until 1941. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Air Force and served throughout World War II as a military newspaper editor. During this period, Martin received a letter from his brother, Bernard, who had been injured in a military training exercise. Bernard asked his brother to write a children's book that he could illustrate during his convalescence. The result was The Little Squeegy Bug. After the war, Martin and Bernard started their own publishing company, Tell-Well
Press, and released the book. Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt mentioned The Little Squeegy Bug on the radio, and the book subsequently sold over half a million copies. Martin and his brother produced numerous children's books during the next several years, with Martin writing and Bernard illustrating. As an author of children's literature, Martin became increasingly interested in children's reading habits and enrolled in graduate school at Northwestern University. After receiving his M.A., he accepted the position of principal at Crow Island Elementary School in Winnetka, Illinois. At Crow Island, Martin participated in developing and implementing a series of innovative classroom instructional methods. Martin received his Ph.D. in Reading and Child Development in 1961 and left Crow Island to join the publishing house of Holt, Rinehart & Winston as an editor and creator of elementary school reading materials. During his seven-year association with the firm, Martin produced the Sounds of Language textbooks for first through eighth graders. He also developed science, arithmetic, literature, language, and social studies collections, including the "Bill Martin Freedom Books" series, which alerts children to the concepts and responsibilities of living in a democracy, and the "Bill Martin Instant Readers" series, which use rhyming language to strengthen and enlarge children's reading skills. Martin left Holt, Rinehart & Winston to begin a freelance career in 1967 and has since continued his interest in writing and education through publishing and serving as a visiting professor at colleges and universities. WITH LIGHT WEAR TO THE CLOTH COVERS , INSIDE IS VERY GOOD ALS, HAS NO TEARS OR MARKS . | 
