Susanna began writing as soon as she could hold a pencil. She used to lie on the kitchen floor and ask her mom how to spell things. She wrote her first book in 2nd Grade. It is called The Girl and The Witch and she will read it to you if she comes to visit your school!
Her first published book was The House That Mack Built, released by Little Simon in 2002.
Since then, she has published six more books: Punxsutawney Phyllis (Holiday House, 2005), Taxi! (Little Simon, 2005), No Sword Fighting In The House (Holiday House, 2007), Not Yet, Rose (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2009), and Airplane Flight! and Freight Train Trip! (Little Simon, 2009.) Can't Sleep Without Sheep, released Fall of 2010 (Walker Books), is illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka, and Jeff Ebbeler is illustrating April Fools, Phyllis!, due out from Holiday House in 2011!
Susanna has won awards in several National Writing Contests, including
FirstPlace in the 2005 SouthWest Writer's Children's Picture Book Contest
for herstory Not Yet, Rose, First Place in the 2005 Seven Hills Contest for
Writers (Children's Fiction) for 3 stories, First Place in the 2006
CNW/FFWAFlorida State Writing Competition (Children's Literature
Division) for The One-Hour Bicycle, First Place in the 2007 CNW/ FFWA
Florida StateWriting Competition (Children's Literature Division) for
The Sisters Club, and First Place in the 2007 Seven Hills Contest for Writers
(Children's Fiction) for Gone Fishin'. Her story Rainy Day Parade will
appear in an upcoming issue of Highlights Magazine.
image © Jeffrey Ebbeler
Susanna Leonard Hill grew up in New York City with her mom and dad, one sister and two brothers, and an assortment of cats. She went to the Brearley School for K - 12, then received her B.A. in English and Psychology from Middlebury College. She then went on to get her M.A. and M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology and Special Education of Children With Learning Disabilities from Teacher's College, Columbia University.
She worked for many years teaching dyslexic students, but stopped after her third child was born. Now she spends her time being a mom, writing, and visiting schools whenever she gets the opportunity.
BACK IN THE OLD DAYS...
BECOMING A WRITER...
All written content copyright © Susanna Leonard Hill, 2010. Site Designed by Donna Farrell
All rights reserved. All artwork is copyrighted by artist/illustrator and is noted within site pages.
