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As a child
I was read to a lot as a child by people who knew how to read stories. These stories came alive for me, and the love of story has stayed with me ever since.
As an adult
I've been blown up, buried alive and had cancer as an adult, and survived all these experiences, so I'm a very lucky man. I live where I lived as a child, and nearly all my stories come from things that have happened to me here, at the foot of the Mountain of Mourne.
As an artist
I work in an old stone barn beside my home, and dream my stories in the garden and on long walks on the beach in front of my house. I never write anywhere else. This is where I belong.
Things you didn't know about Martin Waddell
Three little owl babies sit in the tree and wait…and wait…and wait…for their Mummy to come home from hunting. Stunning illustrations match this brilliant classic picture book story. This beautiful board book edition is perfect for little hands. Never has the plight of young ones who miss their mum been so sensitively told or so beautifully rendered as in this tale from picture book masters, Patrick Benson and Martin Waddell. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Three little owl babies sit in the tree and wait…and wait…and wait…for their Mummy to come home from hunting. Stunning illustrations match this brilliant classic picture book story. This beautiful board book edition is perfect for little hands. ~ Julia Eccleshare Never has the plight of young ones who miss their mum been so sensitively told or so beautifully rendered as in this tale from picture book masters, Patrick Benson and Martin Waddell.
September 2017 Book of the Month Three little owl babies sit in the tree and wait…and wait…and wait…for their Mummy to come home from hunting. Stunning illustrations match this brilliant classic picture book story. This beautiful 25th anniversary edition is a book to treasure. ~ Julia Eccleshare
A timeless classic with stunning illustrations Farmer Duck tells the story of a hard-working Duck who is saved from his life of drudgery when the animals on the farm revolt against their lazy farmer, tip him out of bed and send him packing. Now all the animals own the farm and do the work. Martin Waddell’s simple text captures the unjustness of the situation without labouring the point while Helen Oxenbury’s illustrations bring the farm dynamic vividly to life. This handsome paperback book edition celebrating the book's 25th anniversary makes it perfect for young readers. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Julia Eccleshare's Pick of the Month July 2016 A timeless classic with stunning illustrations Farmer Duck tells the story of a hard-working Duck who is saved from his life of drudgery when the animals on the farm revolt against their lazy farmer, tip him out of bed and send him packing. Now all the animals own the farm and do the work. Martin Waddell’s simple text captures the unjustness of the situation without labouring the point while Helen Oxenbury’s illustrations bring the farm dynamic vividly to life. This handsome board book edition celebrating the book's 25th anniversary makes it perfect for young readers. ~ Julia Eccleshare Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month for July 2016 Melric and the Crown by David McKee The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Chris Riddell Up, Up and Away by Tom McLaughlin Strange Star by Emma Carroll Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell Such Stuff: A Story-Maker's Inspiration by Michael Morpurgo
Little Bear can't sleep. He's frightened of the dark, even with the Biggest Lantern of Them All at his bedside. But Big Bear finds an ingenious way to reassure him. This is a tale from the 'King Rollo' Films, accompanied by specially composed music.
Three little owl babies sit in the tree and wait…and wait…and wait…for their Mummy to come home from hunting. Stunning illustrations match this brilliant classic picture book story. This beautiful board book edition is perfect for little hands. Never has the plight of young ones who miss their mum been so sensitively told or so beautifully rendered as in this tale from picture book masters, Patrick Benson and Martin Waddell. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Three little owl babies sit in the tree and wait…and wait…and wait…for their Mummy to come home from hunting. Stunning illustrations match this brilliant classic picture book story. This beautiful board book edition is perfect for little hands. ~ Julia Eccleshare Never has the plight of young ones who miss their mum been so sensitively told or so beautifully rendered as in this tale from picture book masters, Patrick Benson and Martin Waddell.
This best-selling, classic story of three baby owls waiting anxiously through the night for their mother to return is given some delightful pop-ups to add to its charms. The original story and illustrations remain unchanged but now, scarily, the owl flies out of the page and, delightfully, the baby owls also pop-up in flight.
Three little owl babies sit in the tree and wait…and wait…and wait…for their Mummy to come home from hunting. Stunning illustrations match this brilliant classic picture book story. This edition also includes a CD of the story beautifully read by Sophie Aldred.
A hugely enjoyable read. Farmer duck toils hard all day while his lazy farmer does nothing. So the duck’s many friends decide to club together to get their own back on the lazy farmer and in so doing the duck gets a wonderful surprise. Lavish illustrations complement the simply text very well.
Pigs don't swim ... or so it's said. A classic, much-loved picture book following the exploits of a hot and bothered pig. In this Kate Greenaway Commended picture book favourite, Owl Babies author Martin Waddell tells the story of Neligan's pig - who's feeling very hot and bothered! It's one of the most sizzling days of the summer, and the pig sits by the pond watching the ducks and geese playing on the cool water. The pig gets warmer and warmer, the ducks and the geese get louder and louder. Neligan's pig knows that pigs don't swim - but she just has to take a dive! And she's not the only one on the farm who's sweltering... A riotous read-aloud to be shared over and over again.
When Horse went up a tree one day, he didn't think about how to get down again - and now he's stuck. The sheep, the ducks, the hens and Farmer come to help him in this comical tale by Martin Waddell. Yellow / Band 3 - A humorous story Text type - Fiction The focus phonemes in this book are ay, ow (show), a-e and o-e. You can use the table in the Farmer's handbook on the final spread to discuss how the animals and the farmer solve Horse's problem. Martin Waddell also wrote Red 2B The Mouse and the Monster; Blue 4 The Small Bun. This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.
Faithful Dog Tom has woken up Farmer Skiboo. It is the middle of the night, so why do all the farm animals think it is morning? Farmer Skiboo asks Charlie to move his bull, but Charlie just cant work out how!Oxford Reading Tree All Stars is an engaging chapter fiction series which combines age-appropriate content with imaginative stories, perfect for inspiring and stretching able infants. The series develops comprehension skills and provides a wide variety of fiction topics and styles, alongside illustrations that aid understanding. All the books in this series are carefully levelled, so its easy to match every child to the right book one which will develop their reading skills and fuel their love of reading. Help with childrens reading development is also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk.
A hungry man and his wife baked a small bun. But as soon as they put it on their plate, the bun jumped up and ran off. This lively version of the traditional story of the gingerbread man is by Martin Waddell. Blue / Band 4 - A Text type - Fiction The focus phoneme in this book is al (small). Use the storymap on the final spread to discuss the route the small bun took and the characters he met.. Martin Waddell also wrote Red 2b The Mouse and the Monster; Yellow 3 Horse Up a Tree This book has been levelled for Reading Recovery. This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.
When a wee mouse meets a big, hungry monster on the road, he needs to think fast. This is a lively retelling of a traditional story by Martin Waddell. Red / Band 2B - A traditional story Text type - Fiction The focus phonemes in this book are sh, er, oa and ng. Other phonemes practised are ou (ground), th (this), th (thin), ee, w, oo (look), ie (lie) and ch. Children can compare and contrast the two main characters using the character summaries on the final spread. Martin Waddell also wrote Yellow 3 Horse Up a Tree and Blue 4 The Small Bun. This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.
Bill longs for someone to talk to. Then one day the door to his room opens and...a giant bottom comes in! Legs, arms, chest follow as bit by bit, Bill's new giant friend appears. When his friend's last bit finally arrives and he is in one piece, they have plenty to talk about! Blue/Band 4 books offer longer, repeated patterns with sequential events and integrated literary and natural language. Text type - A traditional story. A flow chart on pages 14 and 15 shows the different body parts that make up Bill's new friend, giving children the opportunity to recap and retell the story. Curriculum links - Science: ourselves, parts of the body. Talk, Talk, Talk is one of three Collins Big Cat books by Martin Waddell. This book has been levelled for Reading Recovery. This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.
Welcome to the wonderful fairytale world of Hans Christian Andersen . . . retold for today's children in Scots for the very first time. This classic collection brings together nine favourite stories, from the fun and humour of the proud Emperor with his splendid new clothes, to the gentle sadness of the Little Mermaid. With a colourful cast of witches, princesses, toys and animals, this rich and varied collection is guaranteed to delight and entertain readers young and old. Emma Chichester Clark's glorious illustrations bring the tales vividly to life, making this book a joy to share and a gift to treasure. Featured stories: * The Princess and the Pea, translated vt Elaine C. Smith * The Ugly Duckling, translated by Shane Strachan * The Tinderbox, translated by Thomas Clark * The Little Match Girl, translated by James Robertson * The Emperor's New Clothes, translated by Val McDermid * The Tin Soldier, translated by Matthew Fitt * The Swineherd, translated by Susi Briggs * The Nightingale, translated by Ashley Douglas * The Little Mermaid, translated by Sheena Blackall
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