Meet Munsch

Robert Munsch
Long before he started writing books, Robert Munsch was a storyteller. The first time he told his stories to a group of children was in 1972, when he was a student teacher at a nursery school. The children liked his stories, so he started telling them more often. He would often take the same story and tell it again and again, changing it a little bit each time, until it got to be really good. Kids liked how loud and animated he was while he told them stories, so he kept doing that, too. This would become his signature storytelling style.
Eventually, once his stories got really, really good, he wrote them down and sent them to a publisher. The publisher said “Yes!” to the story that became the book Mud Puddle. Today, nearly 100 Robert Munsch books have been published. Some, like Love You Forever, became runaway international bestsellers. Some, like The Paper Bag Princess and Zoom!, challenge conventions and stereotypes. But nearly ALL of them are based on real kids that Robert Munsch has met, often on his tours and travels. Sometimes, as in Finding Christmas and Pyjama Day!, he even uses his own family. Each book is dedicated to the kid or kids it is based on. You can find out more about the story behind each book by clicking on the “About this story” buttons on this website.
While Robert Munsch has countless fans across North America (he receives about 10,000 letters a year!) his books are also popular around the world. His books have sold more than 87 million copies and have been published in 31 countries/territories and 50 languages, including 22 Indigenous languages and dialects. Robert Munsch has received many awards for his work as an author and storyteller. He has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, the Order of Canada, and schools named in his honour! He has been nominated three times for the prestigious international Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.
Robert Munsch was even once a kid himself. He grew up in a large family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Now that he’s grown up he has three grown-up kids of his own, and three grandchildren!
Robert Munsch is no longer telling stories to kids at schools, but he has written many, many stories that will someday become new books.
Questions Kids Ask:
Robert Munsch
c/o Scholastic Canada Ltd
2 Bloor Street West, Suite 401
Toronto, Ontario M4W 3E2
CANADA
I sent out 10 stories and one of them got a "yes" and nine of them got a "no."
I started writing when I was 35.
I got published when I was 36.
1. Write down your stories.
2. Play around with them till they get good.
3. Show them to your friends.
4. Send copies to everybody you know.
5. Maybe send them to publishers, but publishers sometimes just don't get it and send back really good stories, so you don't have to do this if you don't want to.
I think my saddest story is... Well, I don't think I have a really sad story.
Julie in David’s Father and Makeup Mess.
Tyya in Something Good.
Andrew in Andrew’s Loose Tooth.
Julie, Tyya, Andrew, Ann (my wife) and I are all in Finding Christmas and Pyjama Day!
The kids in the other books are usually the kid I first made the story up for.
Publisher note: Learn about the real kids behind each book by clicking on the “About the story” button on each book page
My favorite animal is an orange beetle.
A PROMISE IS A PROMISE is my most scary book.
I HAVE TO GO is my funniest book.
My favourite character is... ahhhh... ummm... I don't think I have a favourite character.
Sometimes my favourite food is HOT CHICKEN WINGS.
Sometimes my favourite food is INDONESIAN LEMON GRASS AND COCONUT SOUP.
Sometimes my favourite food is RAW CARIBOU.
Sometimes my favourite food is HOME MADE VEGETABLE SOUP.
Sometimes my favourite food is NOTHING 'CAUSE I DON'T WANT TO EAT.
My favourite kids' book not by me is Blueberries for Sal.
My favourite book with no pictures is Five Families.
It is near Toronto and Lake Ontario and Niagara Falls.
Mary
Margy
Tommy
Bobby <-----me
Dickie
Billy
Jimmy
Jackie
Kate