Rita may be small and often left behind but she’s not the kind of girl to sit about long. Especially when there is someone to be rescued. In fact, Rita is something of a superhero and here she’s off catching ponies, rescuing climbers and even taming the Hound of Red Rock Moor. A perfect beginning reader about a delightful heroine. (5+)
Rita and her brothers and sister visit Rocky Park. Rita is soon left with her Grandad to make daisy chains while the others have fun. But as soon as Grandad's eyes close, she dons her rescuer's outfit and heads for the woods.
Hilda Offen was born in Surrey and lived for the first part of her life on an entirely self-sufficient small-holding. She attended Reigate School of Art for three years and, when she had saved enough money by working for a printing firm, she became a freelance illustrator and worked for magazines and newspapers. She then did an English degree at University College, London which she enjoyed very much. She illustrated many collections of Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Stories and wrote her first book RITA THE RESCUER. She followed this with two others, OLD WILLIAM AND THE SEVENTH SHEEP and MRS. LAMPKINS LODGER. She then started writing and illustrating her own books and has so far written nine. She works at home, but does some teaching in colleges which she values as it gives her a chance to keep in touch with the children she is writing for. She believes that "any book for children should be capable of firing the imagination." Hilda Offen lives in Sussex.
