Margaret Hillert (January 22, 1920 ? October 11, 2014) was an American author, poet and educator. Hillert, a lifelong resident of the state of Michigan , was known for her children's literature , having written over eighty books for beginning readers. ^[1] She began writing poetry at a young age and published her first verses in 1961. ^[2]

Hillert was born in Saginaw, Michigan , in 1920. ^{[3] [4]} She was best known for her Dear Dragon series, which pairs tales of a young boy and his pet dragon with instructional notes, word lists, and activities to promote reading skills. ^[5] By using limited vocabulary and repeating words, her books are aimed at helping beginning readers gain skills and confidence. ^[3] Hillert's work has been illustrated by Ed Young , Nan Brooks , Kelly Oechsli , Kinuko Y. Craft , and Dick Martin .

Hillert received a nursing degree from the University of Michigan and a teaching degree from Wayne State University . She taught First Grade at Whittier Elementary in the Royal Oak Public School District for 34 years. She died on October 11, 2014, at the age of 94. ^[6]

Awards [ edit ]

• 1991 Annual Award of the Children's Reading Round Table of Chicago ^[7]
• 1993 The Women's National Book Association Michigan Bookwoman of the Year
• 1997 The Women of Wayne State “Headliner” ^[7]
• David W Longe Prize ^[1]

Bibliography [ edit ]

• Come Play with Me (1975) (Illustrated by Kinuko Y. Craft )
• What Is It? (1977) (Illustrated by Kinuko Y. Craft )
• The Cookie House (1978) (Illustrated by Kinuko Y. Craft )
• The Snow Baby (1969) (Illustrated by Liz Dauber )

References [ edit ]

External links [ edit ]

• The Margaret Hillert Papers in the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection of the University of Southern Mississippi