Simont, Marc (1915-2013), was a French-born American artist and illustrator. Simont won the 1957 Caldecott Medal for his illustrations for A Tree Is Nice by Janice May Udry. In 1950, he was a runner-up for a Caldecott Medal for his pictures for Happy Day by Ruth Krauss and in 2002, for his pictures for The Stray Dog by Reiko Sassa. Simont also illustrated the popular 21-book “Nate the Great” series by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. The series tells the adventures of a boy detective who solves mysteries in his neighborhood. The series began with Nate the Great (1972).
Simont was born on Nov. 23, 1915, in Paris. He became a United States citizen in 1936. In addition to illustrating nearly 100 children’s books, Simont was a painter and printmaker. He also wrote children’s books. Simont died on July 13, 2013.
