Robert Munsch is a popular children’s author, writing over fifty books. His most popular book, Love you Forever, has sold over 6 million copies. He often uses repetitious words in his books. Also, his stories feature a young child as the main character, a characteristic of his stories that make them relatable to young children. I enjoyed his books as a young child, so I chose to reread five of his short stories. I thought I would try and gauge how my perceptions of the stories’ have changed from when I first read them as a young child to now. Also, I tried to look in each story for a theme, writing style, targeted age group, and illustrations.
Purple, Green, and Yellow
Munsch, R. (1992). Purple, green, and yellow. Buffalo, NY: Annick Press.
Brigid loves coloring with her super-indelible-never-come-off-till-you’re-dead-and-maybe-even-later markers until she becomes bored with drawing on paper.
There are certain interesting aspects to this short story. First, whenever Brigid goes to her mother to ask for new, improved markers that are better than the ones she has, she always asks her mother if she drew on the wall, on the floor, or on herself. Her mother always replies with a drawn out “nnnooo”. Robert Munsch is known for using repetitious statements that are supposed be accentuated by the reader. The target age range for this book can be anywhere from toddlers to elementary school children. I feel that elementary age children will enjoy this book because they are learning to write and color using pencils, crayons, and markers. This book will spark the creativity in any child who reads it. This book could inspire a teacher to plan an art project in her class. For example, a student could lie on the floor and have a classmate trace the outline of the student. Then, the student can color his or herself with super-indelible-never-come-off-till-you’re-dead-and-maybe-even-later markers, just like Brigid did in the story.
Murmel, Murmel, Murmel
Munsch, R. (1982). Murmel, murmel, murmel. Buffalo, NY: Annick Press.
Robin finds a baby in a hole in her sandbox and tries to find someone who needs a baby.
I do not remember reading this story as a child, but chose it because the storyline that Robin tried to give away a baby that she found in her sandbox was really entertaining. At the same time, I also found it weird that the premise of the story was that Robin asked people if they would like a baby. It would seem more realistic if Robin was asking whom the baby belonged to, somewhat like the story “Are You My Mother?” by P.D. Eastman. The illustration of this story differed from “Purple, Green, and Yellow” in that the illustrations were in color, yet not as many colors were used, mostly because “Purple, Green, and Yellow” was a story about the most colorful markers. It was hard for me to find a theme in this story because it seemed that it was a lighthearted story meant for pleasure.
The Paper Bag Princess
Munsch, R. (1980). The paper bag princess. Buffalo, NY: Annick Press.
A dragon steals Elizabeth’s fiancé, Ronald, away from her. Elizabeth successfully outsmarts the dragon in order to get Ronald back.
I also really enjoyed this book as a child. Reading it as an adult, the theme of gender roles stood out to me more. In a typical princess book, it is the princess who usually needs rescued from the evil villain by a handsome prince. In this version, the princess, Elizabeth, has to fight to win back her fiancé, Ronald, from a dragon. She does so by outsmarting the dragon, making him very tired and unable to blow any more fire, and rescues Ronald. Only Ronald is not impressed by Elizabeth’s feat, or her appearance. Elizabeth decides that Ronald is a bum and she does not want to be married to him after all. I found this story to be especially appealing to young girls. It is anti-Disney in the sense that Robert Munsch is telling girls that they can be smarter than boys, and do not need to find a prince to sweep them off their feet. This theme especially rings true today where female empowerment is much more supported and encouraged.
I Have to Go!
Munsch, R. (1987). I have to go!. Buffalo, NY: Annick Press.
This book deals with a young boy named Andrew who has a problem telling his parents when he has to go to the bathroom!
This book would be a great tool to use for children who are learning to use the bathroom on their own. The book tells the story of Andrew, who has trouble discerning when he needs to use the bathroom. His parents always ask him if he needs to go to pee, before they get in the car, before he puts on his snowsuit, before bed, yet every time he tells them no. Not a few minutes later, Andrew declares that he must go pee. This routine becomes very annoying to his parents. One night, Andrew wets the bed. After everything is changed he gets back into his bed, but this time he asks his Grandpa is he has to pee. His Grandpa replies that he does, and they go the bathroom together. From then on, Andrew never has another accident. This book could be a great tool for young children who are being potty-trained. This could help them decipher when the appropriate time is to tell parents that they have to go pee.
Thomas’ Snowsuit
Munsch, R. (1985). Thomas’ snowsuit. Buffalo, NY: Annick Press.
Thomas is an ornery young boy who will do anything in his power not to wear his ugly, brown snowsuit.
Thomas is angered when his mom buys him an ugly brown snowsuit. He refuses to wear it, and his mother struggles to put it on him. When he gets to school, the teacher and principal have the same problem, and a hilarious struggle ensues. Even though Thomas hates his snowsuit and refuses when an adult tries to dress him in it, when his friends call him to play he happily puts it on. It was hard for me to find a theme for this story because it is seems to be just a fun, lighthearted story. A teacher could incorporate an activity with this story. After reading the story to students, the teacher could asks his or her students something that they hate to do, such as go to the doctor or clean their room. Then, the class could come up with a fun, creative idea that would make an unpleasant activity fun. For example, students hate to do go to the dentist. To make the situation more bearable, the teacher could provide a lesson plan on what the dentist does, why there is no reason to be scared, and have the students count their teeth and learn the names.
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