Ben Lucien Burman (December 12, 1895 – November 12, 1984) was an American author and journalist born in Covington, Kentucky.
He was married to Alice Caddy who illustrated many of his children's books, including his most popular books, the Catfish Bend series, which became popular with both children and adults.
The series, set in Catfish Bend, Mississippi, tells a tale of the many animal residents of Catfish Bend.
In the late 1970s, Disney greenlit an animated film adaptation of Burman's Catfish Bend stories with Ken Anderson heading the project.
Despite making a large amount of progress and scheduling a 1981 release date, the film was eventually shelved.