Robert Norman Munsch (born June 11, 1945) is an American-born, Canadian children's author.

Personal life and career

Robert Munsch was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 11, 1945. He grew up in a family of nine children. 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. 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). 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. Munsch and his wife, Ann, discovered they could not have biological children after two pregnancies ended with still-births. They have three children via adoption.

Health

Munsch has publicly talked about his bipolar disorder and addiction issues. 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. 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. On October 2, 2021, Munsch told the CBC that he had been diagnosed with dementia and, as a result, can no longer write.

Writing style

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

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. 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. In 2009, Robert Munsch Public School opened in Whitby, Ontario, and in 2014, a second Robert Munsch Public School opened in Mount Albert, Ontario. Munsch is also the most stolen author at the Toronto Public Library.

Publications

Compilations