Writing and illustrating a book is one thing. Getting it published is another. In those days picture books just weren't being published on nonfiction subjects. It was a new idea. Ruth Heller was a pioneer in this respect, as was Gail Gibbons. Until these ladies and a few others came along, children's books on nonfiction subjects were pretty boring --more like old textbooks. Editors thought that the children who would enjoy the pictures would be too young to absorb the information and that children old enough to understand the information would think the pictures were too young for them. Finally an editor was willing to take a chance, and the rest is history. Today we can't imagine a bookstore without beautifully illustrated books about science, nature, history, and other subjects that interest children.

Most of Ruth Heller's children's books are written in rhymes that explain the pictures or urge the reader to interact with the pictures. The How to Hide a.... series challenges children to find the creatures hidden in their habitats. Another popular series deals with parts of speech. All of these books are art masterpieces in themselves. As with all great illustrations, they appeal to adults reading to children as much as to the children themselves. Ruth says she wants each page to be a surprise. She tries not to repeat herself. She researches her subjects by taking pictures at the zoo, keeping a file of photographs, and reading loads of magazines and books. Instead of just imagining creatures and objects in her head, she needs to have either the object or its photograph in front of her as she works.