Has Spots), and Julie Paschkis (Head, Body, Legs; Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile; and The Talking Vegetables). Lippert's awards include: The Charlotte Zolotow Honor Award for Outstanding Writing in Picture Books (Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile, 2004); The Chapman Award for Best Classroom Read-Alouds (Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile, 2003); American Library Association Notable Children's Book (Head, Body, Legs, 2003); Aesop Accolade Award—American Folklore Society (Head, Body, Legs, 2002; Why Leopard Has Spots, 1999); Best Book for Older Readers—African Studies Association (Why Leopard Has Spots, 1999). Later career Lippert currently resides in Mercer Island, WA, with her husband Alan. Her two daughters, Jocelyn Ruth (b. 1982) and Dawn Samantha (b. 1984), live in Washington D.C. Lippert continues to write, tell stories at schools and libraries, and teach writing for children as a professor at the University of Washington Extension School. She also serves as an adjunct professor in the Lesley University Creative Arts In Learning program, teaching the use of storytelling in elementary education. In 2007, Head, Body, Legs was chosen as the "We Share a Story" book of the year, to be read in 23 countries on 6 continents. After hearing the story, children in each country decorated and cut out body part pieces that will be brought together to make paper people with parts from different countries and sent back to the children’s schools. Lippert traveled to Australia, Denmark, Norway and England as part of the program. Philosophy Lippert believes in the power of storytelling to infuse energy and imagination into the lives of children, both at school and at home. 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. Works Books for children The Talking Vegetables, Holt, 2006 (co-authored by Won-Ldy Paye and illustrated by Julie Paschkis) Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile, Holt, 2003 (co-authored by Won-Ldy Paye and illustrated by Julie Paschkis) Head, Body, Legs: A Story from Liberia, Holt, 2002 (co-authored by Won-Ldy Paye and illustrated by Julie Paschkis) Finist the Falcon: A Russian Legend, Troll, 1996 (illustrated by Dave Albers) The Sea Serpents’s Daughter: A Brazilian Legend, Troll, 1993 (illustrated by Felipe Davalos) Why the Moon Is in the Sky: An African Folk Tale, Macmillan, 1988 (illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon) The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Macmillan, 1988 (illustrated by