Marc Simont
Personal Information
Description
Marc Simont was born in Paris, France, the son of Spanish painter Joseph Simont. He spent his childhood in Paris, Barcelona, and New York City. He became interested in drawing at a very young age. He was often ill as a child, and his education was often interrupted by illness or relocation, and he never finished high school. Nevertheless, he studied art at both the Academie Julien and the Academie Ranson in Paris, although he considered his father to be his most influential art teacher. In 1930, Simont traveled to New York City to attend the New York National School of Design. He settled in the United States permanently in 1935 and resumed study at the National School of Design. In 1938, the year he graduated, one of his instructors hired him and a fellow student to assist in the painting of a series of murals for the Lever Brothers offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At around that time, another acquaintance asked him for some drawings for a children’s book manuscript he was sending around to publishers, which is how his work was noticed by the juveniles editor at Dodd, Mead. In the meantime, he was drafted into the Army and sent to the Field Artillery Replacement Training Center at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina for basic training. Upon discovering his artistic skills, he was put to work drawing rifles and other weapons to help with the training on these weapons. During his service he met his future wife, who was working for the USO Travelers Aid, and the two were married. The first children's book he illustrated, Pirate of Chatham Square, was published in 1939. In 1950 he received the Caldecott Honor for his illustrations of Ruth Krauss' The Happy Day. He received the Caldecott Medal in 1957 for his illustrations of Janice May Udry's A Tree is Nice. Over the course of his career, he has illustrated over 100 books.
Books
Nate The Great (Nate The Great)
Join the world’s greatest detective, Nate the Great, as he solves the mystery of the lost picture! Perfect for beginning readers and the Common Core, this long-running chapter book series will encourage children to problem-solve with Nate, using logical thinking to solve mysteries! CAN NATE SOLVE THE CASE FOR HIS FRIEND ANNIE? Nate the Great has a new case! His friend Annie has lost a picture. She wants Nate to help her find it. Nate the Great must get all the facts, ask the right questions, and narrow the list of suspects so he can solve the mystery.
Nate the Great and the Missing Key
Nate the Great and his dog Sludge look for Annie's housekey which has mysteriously disappeared.
The Wonderful O
Relates what happened when an evil sea captain banished the letter O from the island Ooroo.
The 13 Clocks
"There has never been anything like this before, and there will never be anything like this again…[Thurber] takes such delight in the words. It's like it's written by somebody who wants to infect you with his love of words. There are poems hidden in the text. There are places where it wanders into rhyme and out again. There are all of the invented words. The story itself is nonsense in the finest possible way." —Neil Gaiman, interviewed in The Wall Street Journal
My Brother, Ant
In four separate stories, Ant's older brother gets rid of the monster under Ant's bed, forgives Ant for drawing on his homework, tries to read a story, and helps Ant writes a letter to Santa.
The Goose That Almost Got Cooked
A goose drops away from the flock during migration and settles in at a farm, where life seems very pleasant for awhile until she finds out just why the farmer keeps geese.
The Stray Dog
A family befriends a stray dog, names him Willy, and decides to keep him
Afternoon in Spain
This book brings to life the twenty minutes during which one bull is the central figure while around him an assortment of matadors, picadors, and many others play their special roles.
The lovely summer
Gladys and Jerome, two cottontail rabbits, outsmart the owners of a vegetable garden.
Volcanoes
Few natural events are as formidable and fascinating as an erupting volcano. Volcanoes are reminders of the constant processes taking place below the surface of Earth. While readers may have heard of the eruptions of Mount Vesuvius and Mount St. Helens, they may not know that Yellowstone National Park is due to erupt, too! The mechanics of plate tectonics, the kinds of volcanoes, historical eruptions, and geothermal energy are the diverse topics of these 100 facts. Awe-inspiring photographs and fun quizzes add to the valuable information. Activities, Quiz, Fact Boxes, Graphic Organizers, Glossary, For Further Information Section, Index.
The First Christmas
Presents an illustrated retelling of the nativity of Christ.
Nate the Great and the boring beach bag
Nate the Great finds mystery at the beach when Oliver's beach bag vanishes.
Reddy Rattler and Easy Eagle
An ambitious rattlesnake is discouraged about his future until his eagle friend helps him make use of his natural talents.