Hill, Susan

Personal

Married; children: two daughters.

Addresses

Home—Portland, OR.

Career

Writer.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN

Backyard Bedtime, illustrated by Barry Root, HarperFestival (New York, NY), 2001.

"STUART LITTLE" READERS; FOR CHILDREN

Stuart at the Fun House (based on the character created by E.B. White), illustrated by Lydia Halverson, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

Stuart at the Library (based on the character created by E.B. White), illustrated by Lydia Halverson, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

Stuart Hides Out (based on the character created by E.B. White), illustrated by Lydia Halverson, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

Stuart Sets Sail (based on the character created by E.B. White), illustrated by Lydia Halverson, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

"RUBY RACOON" READERS; FOR CHILDREN

Ruby Bakes a Cake, illustrated by Margie Moore, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

Ruby Paints a Picture, illustrated by Margie Moore, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

Ruby's Perfect Day, illustrated by Margie Moore, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.

Sidelights

Susan Hill is the author of a number of entertaining beginning readers that feature engaging animal characters. Her "Ruby Raccoon" books find a spunky young raccoon dealing with life's small challenges in titles such as Ruby Bakes a Cake and Ruby Paints a Picture, while other readers are based on popular fictional characters such as E.B. White's rodent hero Stuart Little. In addition to books for novice readers, Hill has also collaborated with award-winning artist Barry Root on the picture book Backyard Bedtime.

Called an "appealing" introduction to reading by a Kirkus Reviews contributor, Ruby Bakes a Cake introduces Ruby Raccoon, and follows the young creature as she asks for advice while attempting to bake a cake. Each of her friends suggests their own favorite ingredient—Squirrel suggests nuts, Frog suggests flies, and the like—resulting in a strange desert that the raccoon's loyal friends eat without complaint. In Ruby Paints a Picture the cheerful raccoon paints a picture that shows each of her friends in the best possible light, and she learns that time spent alone can often be just as fun as time with friends in Ruby's Perfect Day. Praising artist Margie Moore's contribution to the "Ruby Raccoon" series, Hazel Rochman noted in Booklist that the "friendship fun" in Ruby Paints a Picture "is just right for beginning readers." School Library Journal contributor Corrina Austin also commended Hill for including "new vocabulary [that] is simple enough for sounding out." Appraising Ruby's Perfect Day, Rochman dubbed Hill's "delightful," while Susan Lissim wrote in School Library Journal that the book's "simple plot and good sentence structure provide repetition without being simplistic." A Kirkus Reviews critic dubbed Ruby "a charmer with a delightful world of her own."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 2005, Hazel Rochman, review of Ruby Paints a Picture, p. 1665; December 1, 2006, Hazel Rochman, review of Ruby's Perfect Day, p. 52.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, December, 2006, Deborah Stevenson, review of Ruby's Perfect Day, p. 172.

Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2004, review of Ruby Bakes a Cake, p. 394; May 15, 2005, review of Ruby Paints a Picture, p. 590; October 1, 2006, review of Ruby's Perfect Day, p. 1015.

School Library Journal, July, 2005, Corrina Austin, review of Ruby Paints a Picture, p. 75; October, 2006, Susan Lissim, review of Ruby's Perfect Day, p. 112.

ONLINE

HarperCollins Web site,http://www.harpercollins.com/ (October 27, 2007).