Marijke Simons was born in Amsterdam in 1952 and two years later immigrated with her parents to Montreal. In 1988 she set up a small teaching studio, where she continues to teach art to children. She has illustrated a number of books, including Who’s a Scaredy-Cat! by Joan Payzant, and she wrote and illustrated The Flying Squirrel Stowaways and Jigs and Reels: a Cruise in Maritime Waters. Marijke lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.