A princess outsmarts a dragon, breaks up with her rotter of a prince and skips off, barefoot and dirty, to make her own happy ending. A mother rocks her baby to sleep every night and sweetly sings, “ I ‘ll love you constantly, I ‘ll like you for always. ” A son yells “ Clang clang, rattle-bing-bang ! ” every night at the circus tent of his lungs to protest bedtime. All of these classical tales — and closely 100 others that line children ‘s bookshelves around the global — come from the bright mind of Robert Munsch. Since publishing his first fib over 40 years ago, the Guelph, Ont., writer has sold more than 80 million copies of his books in North America alone. His stories have been translated into 20 languages, including Anishinaabemowin, Arabic and Swedish. His publisher, Scholastic Canada, writes that he receives about 10,000 fan letters a year.
An writer like Munsch, a anchor on best seller lists since the 1970s, does n’t need to do bid. But this class, as his latest books I Can Fix It ! and Think Big ! semen out, he reached out to The future chapter for an interview. He ‘s decided to share some unmanageable news that he has n’t talked about publicly before. “ I have ongoing dementia, ” said Munsch, 76, in his interview with Shelagh Rogers. “ I ca n’t drive, I ca n’t ride a bicycle, I ca n’t write. So it ‘s been truly whittling away on who I thought I was. I kind of think I would like to do this interview as a final hurrah. ” 
Munsch, centre, tells his stories to Toronto schoolchildren on Jan. 27, 2010. His book Just One Goal has been translated for children of Nunavut. (ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation/Canadian Press) Munsch said the diagnosis came as a “ relief, ” since he could sense that something was ill-timed. “ now, if I were God in charge of the world, I would make it illegal, ” he said. “ I worry about what I ‘ll be in a year. Will I be a turnip in a bed in a year ? ” Munsch was celebrated for dropping into schools and reading stories to classes. But those visits have had to stop. The stories remain within him. “ My stories, queerly enough, are all there. The stories will be the last thing to go, I think. ”
Storytelling roots
Munsch grew up in a family of stories. The fourth of nine children in a Pittsburgh family, Munsch describes himself as a “ noisy ” kid who did n’t do well in school and frequently got into worry. “ My don used to tell stories. His own stories, ” said Munsch. “ He did n’t know that he was showing me my future career. He wanted me to be a lawyer. ” 
Children’s storyteller Robert Munsch, left, and illustrator Michael Martchenko working together in Scholastic Canada’s offices. (Submitted by Scholastic Canada) Munsch studied to be a Jesuit priest, but after spend fourth dimension in an orphanage, he realized how much he loved working with children. He left the priesthood, met and married his wife Ann Beeler and started working with her in daycare centres.
There are no princes. Change the story.
It was in Coos Bay, Ore., in 1973 that Munsch developed the early versions of The Paper Bag Princess. He ‘d make up stories and tell them to the kids at pile time. “ The [ kids ] kept asking for dragon stories, so I had a hale bunch of draco stories. But they were all about the prince saving the princess, ” said Munsch. “ Ann came to me once and said, ‘Look, here we are in Coos Bay. There ‘s a recession. Half the women in that daycare centre have no husbands. There are no princes. Change the report. ‘ ” In the koran, published seven years late, Princess Elizabeth outwits the draco to save her betroth Prince Ronald. When Ronald complains about her coal-black appearance and newspaper bag dress, Elizabeth excellently responds, “ You look like a real prince, but you are a mooch. ” She dances murder into the sunset alone and “ they do n’t get married after all. ” The Paper Bag Princess, illustrated by Munsch ‘s longtime confederate Michael Martchenko, has sold seven million copies worldwide. publisher Rick Wilks called it a “ game changer ” for children ‘s literature because it showed there was a grocery store for books “ that were going to take stand. ” 
An excerpt from The Paper Bag Princess, written by Munsch and illustrated by Martchenko. (Annick Press)
How to think like a kid
many of Munsch ‘s books were more down-to-earth than the The Paper Bag Princess. They tell stories of kids with amaze ponytails ( Stephanie ‘s Ponytail ), kids whose older brothers ruin their front-runner stuff ( I Can Fix It ! ) and kids who in truth, truly have to pee ( I Have to Go ! ). “ A child at school once said [ to me ], ‘Mr. Munsch, You ‘re a kid, ‘ ” said Munsch. “ My stories have no adult morals. They ‘re not to improve children. They ‘re barely for kids to like. ”
My stories have no adult morals. They’re not to improve children. They’re just for kids to like.
Munsch estimates that about a third of his stories are inspired by kids who write to him and the rest come from meeting kids and telling stories in person. He always names his characters after the kids who inspire the stories. The character Gah-Ning from Where is Gah-Ning ?, published in 1994, is based on a preschooler from Hearst, Ont. “ She sent me a picture … of a girlfriend with a balloon and birds and the daughter ‘s hair is flailing about. I decided she wanted to … go to Kapuskasing, ” said Munsch. 
Munsch wrote Gah-Ning back to thank her for the photograph and did n’t expect to hear back. But their commensurateness continued for two years and Munsch decided to make a visit. “ She was a kid living with her sister in the basement of a chinese restaurant, and she would write to anybody who would answer, ” said Munsch. “ She and her sister gave me a rampantly go of the township, which ended with her grandma ‘s grave. And I made a book about that. ” Munsch continues to correspond with Gah-Ning to this day. She ‘s nowadays in her 30s. “ The last letter she wrote to me was three days ago, ” said Munsch. “ I ca n’t write anymore. I can send letters if I print the words. so mine are short circuit, hers are farseeing. ” WATCH | Robert Munsch gets illustrated: 
Robert Munsch on The Paper Bag Princess and the threads that tie his stories together
Duration
2:13
Robert Munsch opens up about how he writes dateless stories for kids and their parents to enjoy. 2:13
The moral of the story
Munsch was rejected nine times when he first started sending his stories to publishers. He was finally picked up by Annick Press, a little children ‘s publishing company in Toronto at the time. His first base bible Mud Puddle came out in 1979. The book was based on a very muddy bounce in Guelph, Ont., where Munsch was working at a preschool. Like all of his stories, Mud Puddle is meant to be read out brassy with adenine much consultation engagement as possible. “ That ‘s the means the stories worked. When I told them Mud Puddle, if the kids did n’t join in and make make noise, something was amiss, ” said Munsch. “ I ‘ve learned that I ca n’t make up a commodity story by myself. I need that hearing of kids. ” If there ‘s one thing Munsch hopes his readers take away, it ‘s this very simple message : “ ordinary people fight a set and still get along together. Adults and kids fight a lot and calm get along together, ” he said. “ Kids, love your parents and parents, love your kids. It ‘s a complicate populace and try to make the best of it. ” 
Robert Munsch is inducted into the Canada Walk of Fame in 2009. (David Lee/Submitted by Scholastic Canada) Written by Jane van Koeverden. Produced by Lisa Mathews.
extra credits : Robert Munsch performs Love You Forever. Words composed by Robert Munsch. Book published by Firefly Books. four hundred distributed by Naxos Records. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine, 2004. Robert Munsch performs Mud Puddle on Murmel Murmel Murmel. Words composed by Robert Munsch. Book published by Annick Press. ©Bob Munsch Enterprises Inc., 2006 .
