Marc ter Horst is a Dutch author who writes books for young readers of all ages, including picture books, fiction, non-fiction (STEM), and YA novels. His works have won several awards and have been translated into many languages, including English, Spanish, Italian, German and Chinese. Marc’s books are known for being both funny and engaging, with his favorite themes including nature, the Earth, climate change and the challenges of growing up.
Marc studied literature but soon found himself more interested in geology, astronomy and evolution. Working at the National Institute for Curriculum Development he discovered that his real talent lay in explaining complex stuff in simple terms. Eventually, he found the courage to become an independent copywriter and wrote for websites, museums of (natural) history, and educational publishers.
In 2014, his first children’s book Hey There, Earth Dweller! was published and has since been translated into 7 languages. His second book, From Big Bang to Robot, describes the origin of 38 things, including the universe, life, dinosaurs, language, the internet, and children. It was rewarded with an honorary mention by the Dutch jury for the Golden Stylus. This recognition was also rewarded to De oma van de oma van mijn oma (The granny of the granny of my granny, 2016) De Wortels van Oranje (The roots of Orange, 2017) and Palmen op de Noordpool (Palm Trees at the North Pole, 2018), a highly important and entertaining children’s book about climate change which has been translated into 13 languages so far.
During the pandemic Marc wrote Viruswereld (Snot, Sneezes and Superspreaders, 2021) which received the Silver Stylus and has been translated into English, Italian and Chinese. In 2022, Marc’s second picture book Scheten uit de Schoorsteen (Farting Cars and Cows) was published. In 2024 it was voted as the best book about climate change for young children and has been translated into 3 languages so far. In 2023 Marc’s first Young Adult novel Rugzwemmen (Upstream) was published. It has been translated into Italian and was featured by the Dutch Foundation of Literature in Bologna 2024.