SILL, Cathryn 1953-

PERSONAL: Born February 8, 1953, in Asheville, NC; daughter of Jack Howard (an accountant) and Mary (a homemaker; maiden name, Jarvis) Powell; married John Sill (an author and illustrator), March 16, 1975. Education: Western Carolina University, B.S.Ed., 1975. Religion: Christian.

ADDRESSES: Home—105 Wilkie St., Franklin, NC 28734.

CAREER: Macon County Board of Education, Franklin, NC, elementary schoolteacher, 1976—; children's writer, 1988—.

WRITINGS:

for children

(With husband, John Sill, and Ben Sill) A Field Guide to Little Known and Seldom Seen Birds of North America, illustrated by John Sill, Peachtree (Atlanta, GA), 1988.

(With Ben Sill and John Sill) Another Field Guide to Little Known and Seldom Seen Birds of North America, illustrated by John Sill, Peachtree (Atlanta, GA), 1990.

About Birds: A Guide for Children, illustrated by John Sill, Peachtree (Atlanta, GA), 1991.

(With Ben Sill and John Sill) Beyond Birdwatching illustrated by John Sill, Peachtree (Atlanta, GA), 1993.

About Mammals: A Guide for Children, illustrated by John Sill, Peachtree (Atlanta, GA), 1997.

About Reptiles: A Guide for Children, illustrated by John Sill, Peachtree (Atlanta, GA), 1999.

About Amphibians: A Guide for Children, illustrated by John Sill, Peachtree (Atlanta, GA), 2000.

About Insects: A Guide for Children, illustrated by John Sill, Peachtree (Atlanta, GA), 2000.

About Fish: A Guide for Children, illustrated by John Sill, Peachtree (Atlanta, GA), 2002.

About Arachnids, illustrated by John Sill, Peachtree (Atlanta, GA), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS: Cathryn Sill started out writing about birds, but soon expanded her subject matter to include amphibians, mammals, insects, and other creatures in a format that has been universally praised as effective and enjoyable for very young children as well as early readers of science books. About Birds: A Guide for Children is an early example of the format that Sill and her husband, illustrator John Sill, created so successfully. It spotlights John Sill's realistic watercolor illustrations, and pairs them with brief statements about birds in general or specific species. Each full-page illustration appears in small form in the volume Afterword, along with more detailed information about the bird or concept being showcased. The result is "a wonderful visual introduction for small children," remarked Kathleen T. Kornime in Booklist. School Library Journal contributor Ellen Fader also offered praise for Sill's efforts, observing that "Little else on this subject exists at such a young level," making this "a priority purchase" for many librarians.

Sill once told CA: "I enjoy natural history and particularly birds. I am also very fond of teaching. I wanted a simple, informative book about birds to use in my kindergarten classroom. The illustrations needed to be accurate as well as beautiful. Since my husband, John, is an artist and illustrator, we enjoyed working together on About Birds."

About Birds was shortly followed by About Mammals: A Guide for Children, using the format which reviewers had deemed so useful for working with young children. Here, Sill successfully discusses "how varied animals can be in regard to what they eat, where they live, and how they may act, move, or look," according to Katherine E. Gillen in Science Books and Films. "This is ideal for storytimes," remarked Susan Oliver in School Library Journal. Next came About Reptiles: A Guide for Children, another successful entry in this series, this time offering basic information about varieties, life cycle, habitat, and food preferences for these creatures.

Likewise, About Insects: A Guide for Children uses simple, declarative sentences to convey information about the variety of insects in the world, from silverfish to the mayfly. A contributor to Appraisal remarked that this book "is clearly targeted to the very youngest of children and would be best read to a group of inquisitive, budding naturalists." Similarly, Booklist reviewer Gillian Engberg dubbed this book "excellent classroom or pleasure reading for science and nature fans." Sill's next book, About Amphibians: A Guide for Children, covers the life cycle and habitat of a variety of amphibians. School Library Journal reviewer Patricia Manning compared this book favorably to Sill's earlier books, noting that despite a few minor errors of fact, "this book is inviting, informative, and eye-catching." For a contributor to Kirkus Reviews, "the text captures the essential characteristics of amphibians with admirable brevity." In About Fish: A Guide for Children, Sill briefly discusses fish movement, gills, and means of self-protection in a work that Booklist reviewer Carolyn Phelan described as "simple enough for a preschool teacher to read aloud in class, and easy enough for new readers to read for themselves."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Appraisal, review of About Insects: A Guide for Children, p. 98.

Booklist, December 15, 1991, Kathleen T. Hornime, review of About Birds: A Guide for Children, p. 772; June 1, 1999, Carolyn Phelan, review of About Reptiles: A Guide for Children, p. 1835; February 1, 2000, Gillian Engberg, review of About Insects, p. 1026; May 15, 2001, Carolyn Phelan, review of About Amphibians: A Guide for Children, p. 1754; March 1, 2002, Carolyn Phelan, review of About Fish: A Guide for Children, p. 1138; March 1, 2003, Carolyn Phelan, review of About Arachnids: A Guide for Children, p. 1201.

Horn Book Guide, fall, 1999, review of About Reptiles, p. 345.

Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2001, review of About Amphibians, p. 189; January 15, 2003, review of About Arachnids, p. 147.

School Library Journal, February, 1992, Ellen Fader, review of About Birds, p. 84; June, 1997, Susan Oliver, review of About Mammals, p. 113; July, 1999, Karey Wehner, review of About Reptiles, p. 90; July, 2000, Karey Wehner, review of About Insects, p. 98; June, 2001, Patricia Manning, review of About Amphibians, p. 141.

Science Books and Films, October, 1997, Katherine E. Gillen, review of About Mammals, p. 210.*