About Martin

The storyteller behind playful worlds, curious characters, and big bedtime adventures.

About Martin

Martin King is a children's author and world-builder who loves creating imaginative story worlds for young readers.

His books are filled with humour, warmth, and playful adventures - the kind of stories that make children giggle at bedtime while also exploring big ideas about friendship, feelings, and imagination.

Martin writes across several story worlds including Pea & Carrot, Arlo, Opposites, and When I Grow Older, each one designed to spark curiosity and encourage children to explore stories in fun and creative ways.

Long before interactive books became widely known, Martin experimented with combining storytelling and technology. In 2009, he created the very first augmented-reality adventure story and game in the Jack Hunter children's series, where puzzles and discoveries rose from the pages of the book itself.

But Martin's imagination has never been satisfied with just one story. When an idea arrives, it often grows into an entire world.

So where did the storytelling begin?

As a child, Martin was never very good at sitting still.

He had what he calls "ants in my pants" - always off on missions with friends, exploring woods, crawling through caves, climbing hills, and inventing daring adventures.

Those childhood escapades later became the inspiration behind his Jack Hunter Adventure series for older readers.

Classic Ladybird book cover — A gift when I left Coates Lane Infant School

Inside pages of the Ladybird book — A gift when I left Coates Lane Infant School

What books inspired him growing up?

Martin grew up devouring adventure stories.

He loved reading Tintin and Asterix, and couldn't wait for weekend trips to the local library in the hope that a new adventure had arrived.

But the books that left the biggest mark were the Ladybird books his mum read to him every night before bed.

Every few weeks a new one would appear, and bedtime suddenly became a brand-new adventure.

Martin still keeps those books today.

Now he writes stories hoping to create those same magical memories for the next generation, but especially for his grandson, who lovingly calls him Gan Gan.

Why did Martin start writing stories?

Sometimes stories begin in unexpected ways.

A close friend of Martin's in America was seriously injured in a car accident. Not knowing how else to help while his friend lay recovering in hospital, Martin decided to write them a story.

What started as a small idea slowly grew and grew.

Several months later it had turned into a 100,000-word manuscript, set in a completely new world with the potential for endless adventures.

That was the moment Martin realised something important:

His imagination wasn't satisfied with just one story... it wanted to build entire worlds!

And so his storytelling journey officially began.

Martin and Arlo — Gan Gan and Arlo off to nursery

The Wind in the Willows book cover — A gift when I left Gisburn Road Junior School

Inside pages of The Wind in the Willows book — A gift when I left Gisburn Road Junior School

How did Arlo inspire new stories?

Years later, along came Martin's grandson Arlo, and everything changed again.

Evenings filled with nursery rhymes, bedtime stories, and tiny everyday adventures reignited Martin's love of storytelling.

Those moments led to the creation of Arlo's Big Yawn, the first book in the Arlo's Big picture-book series.

Watching the world through Arlo's curious eyes reminded Martin that the smallest moments can turn into the biggest adventures.

What kind of stories does Martin love most?

Martin believes the best children's stories are the ones that feel:

big
funny
warm
and just a little bit surprising

Because sometimes the most ordinary day can suddenly turn into a BIG adventure.

Why are there so many story worlds?

Martin's imagination rarely stops at a single story.

One idea quickly grows into a place, then characters appear, and before long a whole new world is waiting to be explored.

That's how story worlds like Pea & Carrot, Arlo, Opposites, and When I grow Older with Freddie & Bonkers, Jessie & Dreamer, all came to life.

Each world invites children to read stories, explore characters, play games, and discover something new.

Martin hopes his stories give children the same sense of wonder he felt as a child — the feeling that somewhere, just beyond the next page, a new adventure is waiting.

School Visits & Author Events

A warm hello for schools, libraries, and storytime spaces

Martin is available for friendly school visits, library sessions, and author events across Yorkshire and nearby areas.

Expect playful, heartfelt story worlds with a little something for every kind of reader: Arlo brings cosy bedtime chaos and big laughs, Pea & Carrot explores feelings and friendship with warmth, When I Grow Older celebrates the extraordinary possibilities of children's imaginations, and Opposites That Aren't invites young readers to discover how words can change meaning — and how sometimes we can be both.

Every story starts with a single page. We'd love to bring ours to your school.