[1][4] Susan received a BFA in illustration from Academy of Art College in San Francisco.
She took time off between her first and second years and moved to Belgium where she was able to study with Remy Van Sluys and take painting and drawing classes at Royal Academy of Fine Art.
[5][6] She was the first recipient of the Pura Belpré Medal Award in 1996 for Gary Soto's Chat's Kitchen.
She won again in 2002 for Gary Soto's Chato and the Party Animals, and was a recipient of a Pura Belpré Honor Award for Susan Elya Middleton's Little Roja Riding Hood.
[12][13] Later works have received more positive reviews that praise her depiction of Latin Culture as well as her use of color and style that fits a book's text.