Eric Hill Has Died

By Maryann Yin 

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Eric Hill (pictured, via) has passed away. He was 86-years-old.

Hill established his publishing career as the creator of the Spot picture book series. The first installment, Where’s Spot, was released back in 1980. Overall, he has sold more than 60 million books around the world.

Don Weisberg, the president of Penguin Young Readers Group, had this statement in the announcement: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Eric Hill. He was a visionary children’s book author and illustrator who created one of today’s most iconic children’s book characters and changed the landscape of children’s book design with his now ubiquitous lift-the-flap design. Spot has entertained and educated generations of pre-schoolers, a fact that gave Eric much joy. He was very fond of Spot, and we are forever grateful for his contribution to children’s books.”