Margaret H. Lippert (born June 12, 1942) is an American author of books and anthologies drawing from the folklore and storytelling traditions of cultures from around the world.
Particularly after her oldest brother David died at age 10, Margaret found second homes in the families of her neighbors, and spent much of her time as a young girl and teenager taking care of and telling stories to children in the community.
After moving from New York to the Seattle area in 1990, she began a collaboration with Won-Ldy Paye, a Liberian storyteller from the Dan tribe tradition.
[7][8][9][10] Lippert has worked with illustrators, including Caldecott Medal Winners Leo and Diane Dillon (Why the Moon is in the Sky),[11] Ashley Bryan (Why Leopard Has Spots),[10] and Julie Paschkis (Head, Body, Legs; Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile; and The Talking Vegetables).
Her books and teaching draw from her lifetime of experience using storytelling to inspire children, and seek to build community by reinvigorating the spirit of the oral tradition.
[21] Why Leopard Has Spots: Dan Stories from Liberia, Fulcrum, 1998 (co-authored by Won-Ldy Paye and illustrated by Ashley Bryan) Teacher’s Read-Aloud Anthologies, Volumes K-12, Macmillan/Mc-Graw Hill, 1993