(B*lly Frank/Flickr)

If you grew up in Canada within the past 50 or so years (which, statistically speaking, you have), you’ve no doubt read a book by the prolific children’s author Robert Munsch. The Paper Bag Princess, Zoom, and Love You Forever are just a few books by the author, and although you might not remember them all by name, If you were shown the cover of any of Robert’s many works, you’d be taken back in time to your childhood instantly.  

I grew up reading Munsch, I even saw him do a live reading at the Bell Centre in Surrey in the late 2000’s-early 2010’s. Although he was born in Pittsburgh, he was widely accepted here as an icon, receiving a Juno in 1985, and being made a member of the Order of Canada in 1999. Because of this, I was saddened to read that Robert Munsch would no longer be with us, as he was approved for assisted suicide a few days ago. 

As it turns out, the headlines about Robert Munsch were a bit misleading. Yes, Robert has been struggling with dementia since 2021, and yes, he’s also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and recently, he has indeed been approved for MAID. But according to Robert’s daughter, Judy, he’s not ready to leave just yet.  

In a recent Facebook post, Judy clarified that her father “is NOT DYING” in response to widespread confusion over his condition. I have to admit, when I read the headline of CBC’s article this morning, I thought he would be gone within the week, which wasn’t helped by the abundance of premature goodbyes from his fans across social media. But no, Robert Munsch Is no scheduled to pass in the immediate future. He’s still able to think and speak, he says he’ll know it’s his time when the condition begins to hinder his basic motor functions. 

Where did the confusion stem from? Well, on September 14, an interview with Robert Munsch was put out by the New York Times. When the article was released, it seems many overlooked the fact that a date for the procedure has not been set, anticipating that this announcement was made to prepare for his death sometime within the very near future. He believes the time will come soon, but Judy insists he’s in relatively good health at the moment, although the nature of his ailments could change that very quickly.

So what’s Robert Munsch going to do with the time he has left?  Well, unfortunately not writing. Since 2023, dementia has hindered his ability to craft his compelling children’s stories, a tragic end for any author. He says the stories are still in his head, the execution of the ideas is the hard part.  

It’ll be a sad day for Canada and the world when Robert Munsch leaves us. His books expanded our minds as children, helping to let our reading skills flourish from a young age. But now, as the adults we are, we need to expand those skills even further by being observant, ensuring that simple misconceptions don’t grow into widely reported falsehoods, as was the case in this situation.

 Written by Noah Schmidt

Contact: nschmidt20@my.bcit.ca