Marijke Simons was born in Amsterdam in 1952 and two years later immigrated with her parents to Montreal. After attending McGill University, she studied teaching. In 1976 she moved to Nova Scotia to raise a family. In Halifax she worked mainly as a French and art teacher. 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 and wrote and illustrated The Flying Squirrel Stowaways and Jigs and Reels: a Cruise in Maritime Waters.