| Ruth Chew | |
| Birth Date: | 8 April 1920 |
| Birth Place: | Minneapolis, Minnesota, US |
| Death Place: | Castro Valley, California, US |
| Other Names: | Ruth Silver |
| Known For: | The Wednesday Witch |
| Occupation: | children's author, illustrator |
| Education: | Western High School (1936) |
| Spouse: | Aaron B. Z. Silver |
Ruth Chew (April 8, 1920 - May 13, 2010) was an American children's author and illustrator of over 30 children's books, most of which were juvenile fantasy. The books were early-reader chapter books and usually centered on magic. Most were published in the 1970s and 1980s by Scholastic Corporation and have been out of print for some time. However, her works are gradually being republished by Random House as of 2013.[1]
Chew was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on April 8, 1920, and attended the Corcoran School of Art. She later moved to Manhattan to pursue a career as a fashion artist and moved to Brooklyn in 1948. In 1953, she moved into the Brooklyn row house where many of her books are set.[2] She died May 13, 2010, in Castro Valley, California.[3]
Ruth Chew also illustrated children's books by other authors, including The Questers, by Edmund Wallace Hildick, and Shark Lady: True Adventures of Eugenie Clark, by Ann McGovern.
In February 2024, Ruth Chew's daughter, Eve Sprunt, published a biography of her mother, "Passionate Persistence, The Life of My Mother, Ruth Chew (Author of The Wednesday Witch)".