Author Spotlight: Robert Munsch

 

            Witty, engaging, realistic and unforgettable: those all describe the stories of Canadian author and performance artist Robert Munsch. His books and recordings are sold all over the world, and think of it: he never set out to be a children's author in the first place!

 

 

            Munsch was a struggling college student with a job in a day-care center when he started telling stories off the top of his head to get the little kiddies to quiet down at naptime. One thing led to another, and one of his stories got published. Now he's at or near the top of the best-selling authors list in Canada. Among his titles: Mortimer, The Paper Bag Princess, and Thomas' Snowsuit.

 

 

            What might be his best seller, Love You Forever, is a beautiful circle-of-life story about a mother and a baby and how their roles gradually reverse. It was written in memory of two stillborn babies that Munsch and his wife lost in 1979 and 1980. They do have two children and live in Ontario.

 

            Munsch is frequently asked to visit classrooms and do readings, but he limits his excursions to just a few a year. When he does venture out for a visit, he always stays with students and their families. That's how he gets some of his best ideas. A Promise is a Promise, for example, was inspired by a stay with an Inuit (Eskimo) family in northern Canada, where Munsch dined on frozen raw caribou.

 

            Munsch has a delightful website in which his readings of many of his books are posted as MP3's for downloading and listening. See also his many other whimsical features and a well-done biography:

 

            www.RobertMunsch.com