Sam McBratney was an Irish children's book author. He was born on March 1, 1943 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He earned a degree in history from Trinity College Dublin. He taught primary and secondary school from 1970 to 1990. After teaching he focused on his writing. He wrote over 50 books in a career of nearly 30 years. His books included Mark Time (1969), The Chieftan's Daughter (1993) which won the Bistro Book of the Year Award (1994), The Lough Neagh Monster (1994), Put a Saddle on a Pig (1991), which was republished as You Just Don't Listen, in 1993. His most popular book was Guess How Much I Love You, published in 1994 (illustrated by Anita Jeram). Will You be My Friend?, is the sequel and has a publication date of September 29, 2020. Sam McBratney died on September 18, 2020 at the age of 77.
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