Martin Waddell

Martin Waddell (born 10 April 1941) is a writer of children's books from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is best known for his picture book texts featuring anthropomorphic animals, especially the Little Bear series illustrated by Barbara Firth and Owl Babies illustrated by Patrick Benson. For his lasting contribution to children's literature, he received the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 2004, the highest career recognition available to a children's writer.