Are the Gilbert Delahaye Martine books the same as the Mary books?

I was wondering about that too, so I did some research and it seems that they are. The Martine books came first (I thought it was the other was around), and they were translated into many languages. She's Mary in English, Anita in Portuguese, Carolina in Spanish, and the books have probably been translated into many more languages. There are also books by the same author about Debbie, who is a separate character.