Martin Waddell is a British writer of children's books. He may be known best for the texts of picture books that feature anthropomorphic animals, especially the Little Bear series illustrated by Barbara Firth. He also writes under the pen name Catherine Sefton, for older children, primarily ghost stories and mystery fiction. The work by Sefton most widely held in WorldCat libraries is the novel In a blue velvet dress. For his "lasting contribution" as a children's writer Waddell received the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 2004. 

April 10th, 1941 in Belfast (Age 83)