Margaret Hillert (January 22, 1920 – October 11, 2014) was an American author, poet and educator. Hillert, a lifelong resident of the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, was known for her

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

, having written over eighty books for beginning readers. She began writing poetry at a young age and published her first verses in 1961. Hillert was born in

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, ...

, in 1920. 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. By using limited vocabulary and repeating words, her books are aimed at helping beginning readers gain skills and confidence. Hillert's work has been illustrated by Ed Young,

Nan Brooks Nan Brooks is a children's book illustrator who has illustrated numerous books from the 1970s onwards. Nancy Florence Earl-Brooks: Born: January 15, 1935 Died: February 25, 2018; Brooks grew up in Cape May, New Jersey, and studied advertising ...

, Kelly Oechsli, Kinuko Y. Craft, and Dick Martin. Hillert received a nursing degree from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and a teaching degree from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

. She taught

First Grade First grade (also 1st Grade or Grade 1) is the first year of formal or compulsory education. It is the first year of elementary school, and the first school year after kindergarten. Children in first grade are usually 6–7 years old. Examples ...

at Whittier Elementary in the Royal Oak Public School District for 34 years. She died on October 11, 2014, at the age of 94.Margaret Hillert Obituary
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Awards

* 1991 Annual Award of the Children's Reading Round Table of Chicago42nd Annual Writer's Conference booklet
(PDF) Presented by Detroit Working Writers and Schoolcraft College in conjunction with ''The MacGuffin'', Schoolcraft College’s national literary magazine * 1993 The Women's National Book Association Michigan Bookwoman of the Year * 1997 The Women of Wayne State “Headliner” * David W Longe Prize

Bibliography

* '' 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

External links

The Margaret Hillert Papers
in the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection of the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hillert, Margaret American children's writers Writers from Michigan 1920 births 2014 deaths University of Michigan School of Nursing alumni People from Saginaw, Michigan Wayne State University alumni