Martin Jenkins is a British conservation biologist and award-winning children’s nonfiction author whose work has brought science, wildlife and environmental issues to young readers around the world. With a professional background in conservation and years of experience working on environmental projects, he has developed a distinctive style that combines accurate scientific information with engaging storytelling. His books explore everything from endangered animals and rainforests to plants, space and the natural world.
For readers asking who is Martin Jenkins, it is important to distinguish this author from several other people who share the same name or a similar surname. In particular, the name can appear in searches connected with cricket, music and other professions. The Martin Jenkins discussed in this article is primarily known as the conservation biologist and children’s author.
| Quick Bio | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Martin Jenkins |
| Born | 1959 |
| Birthplace | Surrey, England |
| Profession | Conservation biologist and children’s author |
| Education | Cambridge University |
| Known for | Children’s nonfiction, wildlife and conservation books |
| Notable books | The Emperor’s Egg, Can We Save the Tiger?, A World of Plants, Exploring Space |
| Professional background | World Conservation Monitoring Centre, freelance conservation work |
| Base | Cambridge, England |
Who Is Martin Jenkins?
Martin Jenkins was born in Surrey in 1959 and spent parts of his childhood in Spain, Ireland and Kent. He later attended Cambridge University, where his interest in science and the natural world developed into a professional career in conservation biology.
Before becoming widely known for his books, Jenkins spent around a decade working full-time for the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. His career subsequently became freelance, allowing him to work with organisations including WWF and United Nations bodies involved in conservation and environmental issues. The Royal Society describes some of his assignments in memorable terms: he has worked on investigations involving orchids in Germany, timber in Kenya and the trade in chameleons in Madagascar.
That practical experience became an important foundation for his later writing. Rather than approaching nature purely as a storyteller, Jenkins brings the perspective of someone who has worked directly with conservation problems.
From Conservation Biology to Children’s Books
Jenkins’s transition into publishing grew partly from his professional knowledge. He was asked to advise Walker Books on its Animals at Risk series, and this experience helped lead him further into children’s publishing.
His writing career has since covered a remarkably broad range of subjects. Wildlife remains a central theme, but his books also address plants, science, money, history and astronomy. His approach is generally to take complicated information and make it understandable without stripping away the fascinating details.
This balance is one reason his books have become useful not only as entertainment but also as educational reading. His work demonstrates that science books for children can be both informative and imaginative.
Martin Jenkins Books and Major Works
Among the best-known Martin Jenkins books is The Emperor’s Egg, a beautifully illustrated account of emperor penguins and their extraordinary breeding cycle. The book has become one of his signature works and is frequently listed alongside his other major children’s titles.
Another important title is Can We Save the Tiger?, which examines endangered species and the ways human activity can threaten or protect wildlife. The book discusses several species, including tigers, ground iguanas, partula snails and white-rumped vultures, using their situations to introduce young readers to conservation. It has received several honours, including the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for nonfiction and the SLA Information Book Award, while also being shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.
Other notable titles include A World of Plants, Ape, Grandma Elephant’s in Charge, Chameleons Are Cool, Fabulous Frogs, Puffin, The History of Money and Exploring Space: From Galileo to the Mars Rover and Beyond. Publisher catalogues also list his Find Out About… books, which introduce younger readers to subjects such as animal babies, animal homes, animal tools and animal camouflage.
A Writer Focused on Wildlife and Conservation
Environmental protection is a recurring theme throughout Jenkins’s work. His scientific background gives him an understanding of biodiversity, habitats and the pressures facing wildlife, while his writing makes those topics accessible to children.
A Walk Through the Rain Forest, for example, takes young readers into the biodiversity of a Malaysian tropical rainforest. The publisher describes Jenkins as a conservation biologist and highlights his conversational writing style, which helps transform a complex ecosystem into an engaging journey for young readers.
His environmental focus can also be seen in Ice Journey of the Polar Bear, which introduces children to polar bears and the challenges associated with a changing climate. More recently, Creatures of the Coral Reef has extended this approach to marine ecosystems, exploring coral-reef life while also addressing climate change, pollution and coral bleaching. The book was published in April 2026 for readers aged five to nine.
Martin Jenkins and Science Education
One of the strongest features of Jenkins’s work is his ability to connect factual science with narrative. His books do not simply present lists of facts. Instead, they often use animals, ecosystems or scientific discoveries as the starting point for a story.
This quality was recognised by the Royal Society in connection with Exploring Space. The organisation praised the book for combining an engaging narrative with detailed information and richly annotated illustrations. The book demonstrates Jenkins’s willingness to move beyond wildlife and explore major scientific subjects.
His work therefore sits comfortably between children’s literature and popular science. A young reader can enjoy the illustrations and storytelling while gradually developing a deeper understanding of scientific concepts.
Martin-Jenkins Cricket: Why the Name Can Be Confusing
The phrase Martin-Jenkins cricket can lead readers toward an entirely different group of people. The most notable cricket connection is Christopher Martin-Jenkins, the celebrated English cricket journalist and broadcaster, rather than the conservation author Martin Jenkins.
Christopher Martin-Jenkins was a long-serving commentator on BBC Radio’s Test Match Special, a cricket correspondent and former president of the Marylebone Cricket Club. He died in 2013 at the age of 67.
His son, Robin Martin-Jenkins, was also a professional cricketer. Robin played for Sussex and retired from competitive cricket in 2010. Cricket Archive records a substantial first-class career, including 184 matches, 7,448 runs and 384 wickets.
Consequently, references to Martin-Jenkins cricket should not automatically be attributed to the conservation biologist and author.
Other People Named Martin Jenkins
There are also other individuals called Martin Jenkins. One notable example is the British multi-instrumentalist associated with the folk group Dando Shaft. The band was formed in Coventry in 1968, and Jenkins was one of its original members.
There are also separate publishing records under the name Martin Jenkins, including works such as adaptations of classic literature. This illustrates why context matters when researching the name.
For an article about the conservation author, these individuals should be kept separate rather than combined into one biography.
Martin Jenkins’s Lasting Influence
The lasting appeal of Martin Jenkins’s work comes from the connection between professional expertise and accessible communication. His career in conservation gives his environmental writing an informed foundation, while his ability to explain difficult subjects makes those ideas approachable for children.
His books encourage curiosity about animals and ecosystems while also introducing broader questions about conservation and humanity’s relationship with nature. From emperor penguins and endangered tigers to coral reefs, plants and space exploration, his subjects show how wide-ranging children’s science writing can be.
Conclusion
Martin Jenkins has built a distinctive career at the intersection of conservation biology, science communication and children’s publishing. His professional work in environmental conservation provided the foundation for books that have introduced generations of young readers to wildlife, biodiversity and scientific discovery. Anyone researching who is Martin Jenkins should therefore identify him primarily as the British conservation biologist and author, while remembering that similarly named figures appear in cricket and music. For readers interested in science, nature and educational books, his work remains an important contribution to children’s nonfiction. Insider Newz brings readers more informative profiles and articles exploring notable people, culture, science and the stories behind familiar names.
