Together Martin Waddell and Barbara Firth have won the 1988 Smarties Book Prize and Kate Greenaway Medal for "Can't You Sleep, Little Bear?" and the 1989 Kurt Maschler Award for "The Park in the Dark". Martin Waddell won the Smarties Book Prize for "Farmer Duck" and Barbara Firth was shortlisted for the same award for "A Song for Little Toad".

"The simply-told tale of Tom Rabbit recognises the important relationship a child can have with a favourite toy. From the consistently satisfying writer Martin waddell, this moonlit story... also manages to encompass the idea that children can survive parental separation." The Financial Times "This is a perfect bedtime story for the three-plus age group." The Daily Telegraph

Martin Waddell and Barbara Firth have worked together on a number of picture books: Can't You Sleep, Little Bear? (Winner of the 1988 Smarties Book Prize and the Kate Greenaway Medal); Let's Go Home, Little Bear; You and Me, Little Bear; Well Done, Little Bear; The Park in the Dark (Winner of the 1989 Kurt Maschler Award); We Love Them and Sam Vole and His Brothers. Martin Waddell won the Smarties Book Prize a second time for Farmer Duck and Barbara Firth was shortlisted for the same award for A Song for Little Toad.