Jean Marzollo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jean Marzollo
Born	Jean Martin (1942-06-24)June 24, 1942 Manchester, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	April 10, 2018(2018-04-10) (aged 75) Cold Spring, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Author, illustrator
Notable works	I SPY series (children's books) Help Me Learn Addition Help Me Learn Numbers 0-20 Pierre the Penguin The Little Plant Doctor Mama Mama/Papa Papa Close Your Eyes Pretend You're a Cat Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King
Notable awards	2000 Rip Van Winkle Award by School Lib. Media Specialists of SE NY Assoc.
Spouse	Claudio Marzollo ​ (m. 1969)​
Children	2

Jean Marzollo (June 24, 1942 – April 10, 2018) was an American children's author and illustrator. She wrote more than 100 books, including the best-selling and award-winning I Spy series for children, written completely in rhythm and rhyme.

Biography

Born and raised in Connecticut, Marzollo was a graduate of Manchester High School (1960), the University of Connecticut (1964) where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education (1965).

Marzollo was a high school English teacher in Arlington, MA (1965–1966) and the assistant director of Harvard's Project Upward Bound (1967). In New York City, she worked on early childhood research projects for General Learning Corp. (1967–1969) and was the Director of Publications for the National Commission on Resources for Youth (1970–1971).

For 20 years (1972–1992), she edited Scholastic's "Let's Find Out" Magazine, working closely with art director Carol Devine Carson. She has written books for teachers and parents, as well as articles about children for Parents Magazine, Redbook, and other parenting magazines.

Marzollo was known for her best-selling and award-winning I Spy series with photographic illustrator Walter Wick. Among her other children's books are: Help Me Learn Addition, Help Me Learn Numbers 0-20, The Little Plant Doctor, Pierre the Penguin, Mama Mama/Papa Papa, Close Your Eyes, Pretend You're a Cat, Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, and the Shanna Show books. After more than twenty years of writing children's books, she also began to illustrate them. She retold and illustrated five Bible stories and three Greek myths, as well as writing and illustrating two counting books for preschoolers: Ten Little Eggs and Ten Little Christmas Presents.

Death

Marzollo died on April 10, 2018, in her sleep due to natural causes at the age of 75. She was survived by her husband, Claudio Marzollo, a retired sculptor who co-authored some of her children's science fiction and fantasy books, and two sons.

Published works

• Gale Cengage Learning: Contemporary Authors, volume(s) 81–84, 264
• Contemporary Authors Autobiographical Essay, volume(s) 264
• Contemporary Authors New Revision Series, volume(s) 15, 90
• Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults, edition(s) 2
• Something About the Author, volume(s) 29, 77, 130
• Something About the Author Autobiography Series, volume(s) 15