John Bemelmans Marciano was born in 1970 and grew up on a horse farm in
Three Bridges, New Jersey. He graduated from
Columbia University in 1992. As the grandson of
Ludwig Bemelmans, creator of the children's book series
Madeline, Marciano has continued the series with seven books in his grandfather's style, including
Madeline and the Cats of Rome,
Madeline at the White House and
Madeline and the Old House in Paris. In 2016 he wrote a middle-grade fiction book called
The 9 Lives of Alexander Baddenfield, illustrated by
Sophie Blackall. Marciano's non-fiction books for adults include a 1999 biography of his grandfather titled
Bemelmans: The Life and Art of Madeline’s Creator. In 2014, he published a non-fiction books for adults called
Whatever Happened to the Metric System? How America Kept its Feet, published by
Bloomsbury. == Personal life ==