Martine et Patapouf par Marcel Marlier

Marcel Marlier (18 November 1930 – 18 January 2011) was a Belgian artist and illustrator. He was born in Herseaux, Belgium. When he was 16, he enrolled in decorative art at Saint-Luc de Tournai. He finished his studies in 1951 with the greatest distinction. He returned as a teacher two years later. The Belgian publisher La Procure à Namur organized a drawing contest. They were interested in finding talented artists to illustrate works for school children. Marlier won the competition. Two books resulted from this and these books guided a whole generation of Belgian children through the first few years of school, I Read with Michel and Nicole and I Calculate with Michel and Nicole. Marlier's collaboration with La Procure à Namur lasted more than 25 years.