Robert N. Munsch
Robert Munsch is one of North America’s best-selling children’s authors. His books are staples of any child’s library. All together they have sold over 30 million copies, and have been translated into over a dozen languages.
“I got into it backwards!” is Munsch's reply to questions about how he became a children’s author. That’s because he makes up most of his stories on the spot, and tells them over and over before he writes them down. Munsch is bursting with ideas-though he says it sometimes takes him years to get a good story.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Munsch studied for seven years to be a Jesuit priest before deciding to work with children instead. For the next five years he taught in a variety of nursery schools and daycare centers while he earned an M.A. in early childhood education. In 1975, Munsch and his wife, Ann, moved to Guelph, Ontario, where he became an associate professor of family studies and teacher at the University of Guelph’s preschool. During this time his reputation began to grow.
Munsch has gained wide international recognition for his books and records. The Paper Bag Princess became the kids’ book of the ’80s, and Murmel, Murmel, Murmel won a Juno Award in 1985. In 1986, Thomas’ Snowsuit won the Ruth Schwartz Award, and Munsch himself won the Canadian Booksellers Association’s “Author of the Year” in 1991.
What do people like about Munsch’s stories? They’re contemporary and zany, reflecting “a jaunty belief in the power of children,” says Horn Book. To celebrate the publication of The Paper Bag Princess twenty-five years ago, Annick Press presents The Paper Bag Princess 25th Anniversary Edition (2005) which has the complete storybook, how the book came to be, and never-before published original sketches.
Every year Munsch receives thousands of letters from young fans. He likes to meet the children who send him mail, which sometimes leads to another story. Of his hectic touring schedule, he says simply, “I love it! One of the nicest things about my job is traveling across North America and meeting all kinds of people.”
The Munschs have three children: Julie, Andrew and Tyya.
Kids Books (7)
A Promise Is a Promise: 30th Anniversary Edition
$7.95
Artists:
Format:
Paperback
Text Content Territories:
Indigenous Canadian; Inuit;
ISBN / Barcode: 9781773212937
Synopsis:
Synopsis:
When Allashua disobeys her parents and goes fishing on the sea ice, she has to use her wits to escape the Qallupilluit--the troll-like creatures her parents have always warned her about that live beneath the frozen surface of the sea. But the only way to break out of their grasp is through an exchange: Allashua can go free if she brings her brothers and sisters back to the sea ice instead. Allashua doesn't want to give them up, but what can she do? After all, a promise is a promise.
Educator Information
A Promise Is a Promise is a collaboration between award-winning storyteller Michael Kusugak and celebrated children's author Robert Munsch. This 30th anniversary edition brings all of the tension of the traditional Inuit story to a new generation of readers. Added features include a new foreword by Michael Kusugak on his role as a storyteller and the importance of storytelling in Inuit culture.
This resource is also available in French: Une Promesse, C'est Une Promesse
Additional Information
32 pages | 7.80" x 7.90"
Bear for Breakfast
$8.99
Artists:
Format:
Paperback
Text Content Territories:
Indigenous Canadian; First Nations; Anishinaabeg; Ojibway;
ISBN / Barcode: 9781443170550
Synopsis:
Synopsis:
Donovan is hungry for a special kind of breakfast . . . BEAR!
It’s breakfast time and Donovan knows exactly what he wants this morning! Not eggs, not pancakes, not cereal. No, what he wants is BEAR, just like his grandfather used to eat for breakfast!
So Donovan sets off to bag a bear of his own, going on an adventurous hunt through the woods, where he stalks and is stalked by an ant, a squirrel, and a dog — but they are not bears, so he shoos them away!
When Donovan finally meets a real, big and growling bear, he quickly learns that sometimes breakfast tastes best when it doesn’t have any teeth!
Educator Information
This story was inspired by Donovan, a first-grader in La Loche, Saskatchewan, a Chippewan community in northern Saskatchewan that Robert Munsch visited in January, 1990. When Robert asked what the kids liked to eat, Donovan said that he liked to eat BEAR!
This resource is also available in French: Un ours pour dejeuner!
This book is also available in English and Algonquin:Bear for Breakfast / Makwa kidji kijeba wisiniyan
Additional Information
32 pages
Bear for Breakfast / Makwa kidji kijeba wisiniyan
$15.99
Artists:
Format:
Paperback
Text Content Territories:
Indigenous Canadian; First Nations; Anishinaabeg; Algonquin;
ISBN / Barcode: 9781443175111
Synopsis:
Synopsis:
Donovan is hungry for a special kind of breakfast . . . Makwa!
It’s breakfast time and Donovan knows exactly what he wants this morning! Not eggs, not pancakes, not cereal. No, what he wants is BEAR, just like his grandfather used to eat for breakfast!
So Donovan sets off to bag a bear of his own, going on an adventurous hunt through the woods, where he stalks and is stalked by an ant, a squirrel, and a dog — but they are not bears, so he shoos them away!
When Donovan finally meets a real, big and growling bear, he quickly learns that sometimes breakfast tastes best when it doesn’t have any teeth!
Educator Information
This dual-language edition includes both the original English text and an Algonquin translation.
This story was inspired by Donovan, a first-grader in in La Loche, a community in northern Saskatchewan that Robert Munsch visited in January, 1990. When Robert asked what the kids liked to eat, Donovan said that he liked to eat BEAR! Illustrator Jay Odjick is a member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation and the creator of the Algonquin Word of the Day series.
This book is available in English only as Bear for Breakfast.
This resource is also available in French as Un ours pour dejeuner!
Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 10.00"
Blackflies
$7.99
Artists:
Format:
Paperback
Text Content Territories:
Indigenous Canadian; First Nations;
ISBN / Barcode: 9781443157919
Synopsis:
Synopsis:
Helen loves springtime - except for the gazillions of blackflies and mosquitoes. But she has a plan. . .
One day Helen wakes up and it's SPRING! The snow has melted and the sun is shining. But Helen knows that the blackflies will be coming out soon. So she does what any smart kid would do: she sends her little sister outdoors to check! When the blackflies and mosquitoes carry her away, Helen tells her dad, who rushes outside and is carried away himself. Now Helen needs to rescue BOTH of them, along with a wolf and a very clever bear. . .
Reviews
Munsch "uses a narrative shared with him by a First Nations family he met in Fort McMurray in 1996, and utilizes illustrations by First Nations artist Jay Odjick to help tell the story." - Andrea Smith, Windspeaker.com
Educator Information
Robert Munsch met Helen in Fort McMurray, where there are a lot of blackflies in the spring! Jay Odjick, an Algonquin artist, drew from his childhood experiences in illustrating this book: as a kid, he spent many hours indoors learning to draw as he hid from the blackflies and mosquitoes! Jay incorporated some First Nations decor and visuals to Helen's house and in his illustrations of her dad. Also fuzzy moose slippers, which he would love to own a pair of!
Recommended Ages: 3-8
This resource is also available in French: Vilains maringouins!
Additional Information
32 pages | 8.01" x 9.95"
Un ours pour dejeuner!
$8.99
Artists:
Format:
Paperback
Text Content Territories:
Indigenous Canadian; First Nations; Anishinaabeg; Ojibway;
ISBN / Barcode: 9781443170567
Synopsis:
Synopsis:
Autrefois, le grand-père d'Antoine mangeait de l'ours pour déjeuner… mais puisqu'il n'y en a pas dans le réfrigérateur, Antoine décide d'en attraper un lui-même!
Dans cette aventure étonnante, le jeune Antoine aperçoit tour à tour une fourmi, un écureuil et un chien, mais comme il ne s'agit pas d'ours, il les repousse chaque fois. Quand il tombe sur un énorme ours qui gronde en sa direction, Antoine court se réfugier chez lui, mais la bête le suit jusque dans la cuisine!
C'est finalement son grand-père qui fera fuir l'animal en le frappant sur la tête avec une poêle à frire. BOÏNG! La famille peut alors savourer un succulent déjeuner qui n'a pas de dents : de la pizza!
Educator Information
This book is available in English as Bear for Breakfast.
This book is also available in English and Algonquin: Bear for Breakfast / Makwa kidji kijeba wisiniyan
Recommended ages: 3-8.
Additional Information
32 pages
Une Promesse, C'est Une Promesse
$12.95
Artists:
Format:
Paperback
Text Content Territories:
Indigenous Canadian; Inuit;
ISBN / Barcode: 9782896114122
Synopsis:
Synopsis:
Une légende inuite raconte que des Qallupilluits se cachent sous la glace de mer. Ces créatures capturent les enfants qui s’aventurent sans leurs parents près des crevasses de la glace. Mais la jeune Allashua doute de leur existence et décide, malgré la promesse faite à ses parents, d’aller pêcher seule sur l’océan glacé. Et comme il fallait s’y attendre, ce ne sont pas des poissons qu’elle rapportera à la maison…
Educator Information
A 30th Anniversary Edition of this resource is also available in English: A Promise Is a Promise: 30th Anniversary Edition
Vilains maringouins!
$8.99
Artists:
Format:
Paperback
Text Content Territories:
Indigenous Canadian; First Nations;
ISBN / Barcode: 9781443157926
Synopsis:
Synopsis:
Le printemps est une saison merveilleuse, si ce n'est l'arrivée de milliards de mouches noires et de maringouins. Mais Hélène a une solution.
One day Helen wakes up and it's SPRING! The snow has melted and the sun is shining. But Helen knows that the blackflies will be coming out soon. So she does what any smart kid would do: she sends her little sister outdoors to check! When the blackflies and mosquitoes carry her away, Helen tells her dad, who rushes outside and is carried away himself. Now Helen needs to rescue BOTH of them, along with a wolf and a very clever bear...
Educator Information
This resource is also available in English as Blackflies.
Recommended Ages: 3-8.
Additional Information
32 pages | 8.02" x 9.98"
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