Robert Munsch
Robert Norman Munsch CM (born June 11, 1945) is an American-Canadian children's author.[1]
Robert Munsch | |
|---|---|
Munsch in Guelph, Ontario, 1997 | |
| Born | Robert Norman Munsch June 11, 1945 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | American / Canadian |
| Education | Master of Education (Child studies) |
| Alma mater | Boston University (BA, MA) Fordham University Tufts University University of Guelph |
| Period | 1979–2019 |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Notable works | The Paper Bag Princess Love You Forever |
| Notable awards | Order of Canada |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | |
| www | |
Personal life and career edit
Robert Munsch was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 11, 1945. He grew up in a family of nine children.[2] Munsch graduated from Fordham University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and from Boston University in 1971 with a Master of Arts degree in anthropology.
Munsch studied to become a Jesuit priest, but decided he would rather work with children after having jobs at orphanages and daycare centers. In 1973, Munsch received a Master of Education in Child Studies from Tufts University. He moved to Canada in 1975 to work at the preschool at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario.[3] Munsch also taught in the College of Family and Consumer Studies at the University of Guelph as a lecturer and as an assistant professor. In Guelph, he was encouraged to publish the many stories he made up for the children he worked with.
One of Munsch's best-known books, Love You Forever, was listed fourth on the 2001 Publishers Weekly All-Time Bestselling Children's Books list for paperbacks at 6.97 million copies (not including the 1.049 million hardcover copies).[4] It has since sold over 30 million copies and has been featured on the episode "The One With the Cake" from the NBC television show Friends, as well as being mentioned by talk show host Oprah Winfrey on Late Night with David Letterman as being her favorite children's book. Munsch's other famous book, The Paper Bag Princess, has sold over seven million copies and is considered to be a feminist story, as well as a literary classic.[5][6]
Munsch and his wife, Ann, discovered they could not have biological children after two pregnancies ended with still-births.[7] They have three children via adoption.[8]
Health edit
Munsch has publicly talked about his bipolar disorder and addiction issues.[9][10] In August 2008, Munsch suffered a stroke that affected his memory. He has since retired, but continued to publish two previously written books each year.[11] On May 15, 2010, Munsch announced that he had been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive and manic-depressive disorder, and that he had a cocaine addiction that started in 2005 and was a recovering alcoholic; at the time, Munsch had been clean for four months, and had regularly attended Alcoholics Anonymous for the previous 25 years and Narcotics Anonymous meetings more recently.[12][13][14] On October 2, 2021, Munsch told the CBC that he had been diagnosed with dementia and, as a result, can no longer write.[15]
Writing style edit
Munsch is known for his exuberant storytelling methods, with exaggerated expressions and acted voices. He makes up his stories in front of audiences and refines them through repeated tellings.
Munsch's stories do not have a recurring single character; instead, the characters are based on the children to whom he first told the story, including his own children. Munsch often performed at children's festivals and appears at elementary schools, sometimes unannounced. In 1991, some of his books were adapted into a animated TV series A Bunch of Munsch, but made in Montreal and premiered on the pay-TV channel.
Awards and honours edit
In 1985, Munsch won a Juno Award for his portrayal of "Murmel, Murmel, Munsch: More Outrageous Stories". In 1992, he was also chosen "Author of the Year" by the Canadian Booksellers' Association.[6]
In 1999, Munsch was made a Member of the Order of Canada. On June 17, 2009, it was announced that Munsch would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto. The induction ceremony was held on September 12, 2009, and in 2013, his star was revealed on King Street in Toronto.[16][17] In 2009, Robert Munsch Public School opened in Whitby, Ontario, and in 2014, a second Robert Munsch Public School opened in Mount Albert, Ontario.[18]
Munsch is also the most stolen author at the Toronto Public Library.[19]
Publications edit
| Year | Title | Illustrator | ISBN | Publisher | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Mud Puddle | Sami Suomalainen | 1-55037-468-0 | Annick Press | |
| The Dark | Michael Martchenko | 1-55037-450-8 | |||
| 1980 | The Paper Bag Princess | 0-920236-16-2[5] | One of the books adapted into an episode in A Bunch of Munsch | ||
| 1981 | Jonathan Cleaned Up — Then He Heard a Sound (also known as Blackberry Subway Jam) | 0-920236-21-9 | One of the books adapted into an episode in A Bunch of Munsch. Also adapted into a 1984 short film by the National Film Board of Canada. | ||
| 1982 | Murmel Murmel Murmel | 1-55037-012-X | One of the books adapted into an episode in A Bunch of Munsch | ||
| The Boy in the Drawer | 0-920303-50-1 | One of the books adapted into an episode in A Bunch of Munsch | |||
| 1983 | The Fire Station | 1-55037-171-1 | One of the books adapted into an episode in A Bunch of Munsch | ||
| David's Father | 1-55037-011-1 | One of the books adapted into an episode in A Bunch of Munsch | |||
| 1984 | Millicent and the Wind | Suzanne Duranceau | 0-920236-93-6 | ||
| 1985 | Mortimer | Michael Martchenko | 0-920303-11-0 | One of the books adapted into an episode in A Bunch of Munsch | |
| Thomas' Snowsuit | 1-55451-115-1 | One of the books adapted into an episode in A Bunch of Munsch | |||
| 1986 | 50 Below Zero | 0-920236-91-X | One of the books adapted into an episode in A Bunch of Munsch | ||
| I Have To Go! | 0-920303-51-X | ||||
| Love You Forever | Sheila McGraw | 0-920668-37-2 | Firefly Books | ||
| 1987 | Moira's Birthday | Michael Martchenko | Annick Press | One of the books adapted into an episode in A Bunch of Munsch | |
| 1988 | Angela's Airplane | 0-920236-75-8 | One of the books adapted into an episode in A Bunch of Munsch | ||
| 1989 | Giant; or Waiting for the Thursday Boat | Gilles Tibo | |||
| Pigs! | Michael Martchenko | 1-55037-388-9 | One of the books adapted into an episode in A Bunch of Munsch | ||
| 1990 | Something Good | 1-55037-390-0 | One of the books adapted into an episode in A Bunch of Munsch | ||
| 1991 | Good Families Don't | Alan Daniel | Doubleday | ||
| Show and Tell | Michael Martchenko | Annick Press | |||
| 1992 | A Promise is a Promise (co-authored with Michael Kusugak) | Vladyana Krykorka | |||
| Purple, Green and Yellow | Hélène Desputeaux | 1-55451-113-5 | |||
| 1993 | Wait and See | Michael Martchenko | |||
| 1994 | Where is Gah-Ning? | Hélène Desputeaux | |||
| 1995; 2017 | From Far Away | Michael Martchenko; 2017 edition illustrated by Rebecca Green[20] | |||
| 1996 | Get Me Another One | Mike Boldt | Doubleday | ||
| Stephanie's Ponytail | Michael Martchenko | 1-55451-114-3 | Annick Press | ||
| 1997 | Alligator Baby | Cartwheel | |||
| 1998 | Get Out of Bed | Alan Daniel & Lea Daniel | |||
| Andrew's Loose Tooth | Michael Martchenko | ||||
| 1999 | We Share EVERYTHING! | ||||
| 2000 | Aaron's Hair | Alan Daniel & Lea Daniel | |||
| Mmm, Cookies | Michael Martchenko | 0590516949 | |||
| 2001 | Up, Up, Down | 0439988152 | |||
| 2002 | Makeup Mess | 978-0439988964 | |||
| More Pies | 978-0779113637 | ||||
| Playhouse | 978-0439989596 | ||||
| Ribbon Rescue | Eugenie Fernandes | 0590038710 | |||
| 2003 | Lighthouse | Janet Wilson | 978-0439946568 | ||
| Zoom | Michael Martchenko | ||||
| 2004 | Boo! | 978-0439961264 | |||
| Smelly Socks | 978-0439967075 | ||||
| 2005 | The Sandcastle Contest | 978-0439955904 | |||
| 2006 | Deep Snow | 978-0439946582 | Scholastic | ||
| I'm So Embarrassed! | 978-0439952392 | Cartwheel | |||
| No Clean Clothes | 0-439-93790-6 | Scholastic | |||
| 2007 | Class Clown | ||||
| 2008 | Just One Goal! | 0-545-99035-1 | |||
| Look at Me! | |||||
| Kiss Me, I'm Perfect! | Cartwheel | ||||
| 2009 | Down the Drain | 0-545-98600-1 | Scholastic | ||
| Roar! | 0-545-98020-8 | ||||
| Braids! | Dave Whamond | 978-1443157391 | |||
| 2010 | Put Me in a Book | Michael Martchenko | 1-4431-0080-3 | ||
| Too Much Stuff! | 978-1443102452 | ||||
| 2011 | Moose! | 1-4431-0718-2 | One of the books later became a Holiday Special television series. | ||
| Give Me Back My Dad! | 1-4431-0764-6 | ||||
| Neversink School and Other Silly Poems | 1443113352 | ||||
| 2012 | Finding Christmas | ||||
| It's My Room! | |||||
| 2013 | Seeing Red! | 1-4431-2446-X | |||
| Swamp Water | |||||
| 2014 | Hugs | ||||
| Pyjama Day! | |||||
| 2015 | Ready, Set, Go! | ||||
| 2016 | So Much Snow! | 1-4431-4617-X | |||
| 2017 | Blackflies | Jay Odjick | |||
| The Enormous Suitcase | Michael Martchenko | ||||
| 2018 | Moving Day! | ||||
| 2019 | Sounds Like Christmas | ||||
| Bear for Breakfast | Jay Odjick | ||||
| School Rules! | Dave Whamond | ||||
| 2020 | Teamwork | Michael Martchenko | 1443182699 | ||
| 2021 | I Can Fix It! | 1443192120 | |||
| Think Big! | Dave Whamond | 1443182982 | |||
| 2023 | Class Trip | Michael Martchenko |
Compilations edit
| Year | Title | ISBN | Stories Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Munschworks: The First Munsch Collection | 978-1-55037-523-7 | The Paper Bag Princess • I Have to Go! • David's Father • The Fire Station • Thomas' Snowsuit |
| 1999 | Munschworks 2: The Second Munsch Treasury | 978-1-55037-553-4 | Pigs • Purple, Green and Yellow • Mortimer • Murmel, Murmel, Murmel • Something Good |
| 2000 | Munschworks 3: The Third Munsch Treasury | 978-1-55037-633-3 | Stephanie's Ponytail • Angela's Airplane • Jonathan Cleaned Up • Show and Tell • A Promise Is a Promise |
| 2001 | Munschworks Grand Treasury | 978-1-55037-685-2 | The Paper Bag Princess • The Fire Station • I Have to Go! • David's Father • Thomas' Snowsuit • Pigs • Mortimer • Purple, Green and Yellow • Murmel, Murmel, Murmel • Something Good • Stephanie's Ponytail • Angela's Airplane • Jonathan Cleaned Up - Then He Heard a Sound • Show and Tell • A Promise Is a Promise |
| 2002 | Munschworks 4: The Fourth Munsch Treasury | 978-1-55037-766-8 | Moira's Birthday • From Far Away • 50 Below Zero • The Boy in the Drawer • Millicent and the Wind |
| 2004 | Munsch More! | 978-0-439-96135-6 | Alligator Baby • Andrew's Loose Tooth • Get Out of Bed • Mmm, Cookies! • Ribbon Rescue |
| 2006 | Murmel Murmel Munsch! (audio CD) | 1897166273 | Mud Puddle • Pigs! • Boo! • Kendro's Braids • Squished Squash • I'm So Embarrassed! • Lacey's Kiss • Murmel, Murmel, Murmel • Flowers on My Jeans • Andrew's Loose Tooth • Something Good • Victoria's Lunch • Makeup Mess • Zoom! |
| 2007 | Much More Munsch!: A Robert Munsch Collection | 978-0-43993-571-5 | We Share Everything! • Aaron's Hair • Up, Up, Down • Makeup Mess • Playhouse |
| 2010 | Mad About Munsch: A Robert Munsch Collection | 978-1-44310-239-1 | More Pies! • Zoom! • Smelly Socks • Boo! • The Sandcastle Contest • Braids |
| 2010 | Munsch Mini-Treasury One | 978-1-55451-273-7 | Angela's Airplane • The Paper Bag Princess • 50 Below Zero • Pigs • A Promise Is a Promise |
| 2010 | Munsch Mini-Treasury Two | 978-1-55451-274-4 | Stephanie's Ponytail • The Fire Station • I Have to Go! • Moira's Birthday • Thomas' Snowsuit |
| 2013 | Munsch Mania! | 978-1-44312-826-1 | Class Clown • I'm So Embarrassed! • Just One Goal! • Look at Me! • No Clean Clothes |
| 2014 | Munsch Mini-Treasury Three | 978-1-55451-651-3 | David's Father • Mortimer • Purple, Green and Yellow • Show and Tell • Something Good |
| 2017 | The Robert Munsch Collection: Volume One | 978-1-50404-984-9 | The Paper Bag Princess • Stephanie's Ponytail • 50 Below Zero • Pigs • The Fire Station • A Promise Is a Promise • Jonathan Cleaned Up - Then He Heard a Sound • Moira's Birthday • Show and Tell • Mortimer |
| 2017 | The Robert Munsch Collection: Volume Two | 978-1-50404-985-6 | Angela's Airplane • David's Father • I Have to Go! • Mud Puddle • Murmel, Murmel, Murmel • Something Good • The Boy in the Drawer • The Dark • Thomas' Snowsuit • Wait and See |
| 2019 | Marvellous Munsch! | 978-1-44314-863-4 | Down the Drain! • Put Me in a Book! • Too Much Stuff! • Moose! • Give Me Back My Dad! • Hugs |
References edit
- "Canadian Who's Who 1997". Retrieved May 8, 2006.
- ^ "All About Robert Munsch | The Official Website of Robert Munsch". Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ "All About Robert Munsch | the Official Website of Robert Munsch".
- ^ "All About Robert Munsch | The Official Website of Robert Munsch". robertmunsch.com. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^ . Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on May 1, 2006. Retrieved September 25, 2006.
- ^ a b Siegel, Alisa; Levine, Karen; Holdsworth, Pauline (13 December 2019). "It does have a happy ending". The Sunday Edition. CBC Radio. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ a b Wiznura, Robert; Grandy, Karen. "Robert Munsch". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Ann Hui (November 10, 2010). "The Backstory, Bestselling children's author Robert Munsch faces a crisis". The Walrus.
- ^ "75 things you might not know about Robert Munsch". CBC books. 1 May 2017.
- ^ Picard, André (October 9, 2009). "How Robert Munsch grabbed a lifeline". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
- ^ . Global Television Network, 16:9 (TV series). May 11, 2010. Archived from the original on May 19, 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
- ^ "Munsch Recovering From Stroke". Waterloo Region Record. November 1, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
- ^ "Munsch admits to cocaine, alcohol addiction". The Globe and Mail. 17 May 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "Robert Munsch admits to cocaine, alcohol abuse". Maclean's. 17 May 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ Hague, Matthew (17 May 2010). "Robert Munsch to cocaine: I won't love you forever". Toronto Life. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "'The stories will be the last thing to go': Robert Munsch on his legacy as one of Canada's great storytellers".
- ^ . Canada's Walk of Fame. 2009-06-16. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
- ^ Jones, Allison (2009-09-12). "Mandel, Munsch among new Canada Walk of Fame inductees". Toronto: The Globe and Mail, syndicated from The Canadian Press. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
- ^ Robinson, Michael (15 July 2015). "Gone but not forgotten: 100,000 Toronto library books outstanding". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ From Far Away. Kirkus Reviews.
External links edit
- Official website
- at AuthorViews
- Robert Munsch 2016-08-12 at the Wayback Machine at publisher Annick Press
- Robert N. Munsch at Library of Congress, with 46 library catalogue records