Bob Munsch applies for MAID
September 16, 2025 11:29 AM Subscribe

Beloved children's book author, Robert Munsch, has applied for MAID. He has been open about his health struggles from mental illness and addiction (The Walrus) to dementia (NYT); archive.

Robert Munsch books have been favourites with my kids and with dozens of after-school program kids. What's more, Bob Munsch's commitment to writing stories based on kids he met have created an inclusive opus, fuelled also by his illustrators, primary among them being Michael Martchenko. A bunch of them have all grown up (Macleans; bring Kleenex).

If you are a certain age, you'll probably know Munsch best from the page that reads: "'Ronald," said Elizabeth, 'your clothes are really pretty and your hair is very neat. You look like a real prince, but you are a jerk.'" (The Paperbag Princess) Admittedly he is also know for the kind of creepy Love you Forever. (No link; trust me on this although we have a copy.)

You may recall that his book "Thomas's Snowsuit" was banned: "In Lloydminister Alberta/Saskatchewan, a teacher at an elementary school told the principal that the book undermined the authority of all school principals. The principal agreed and removed the book from the school library...As Robert Munsch concludes, 'Suppose 10% of the population really wants a book off the shelves and 90% sort of like it, or even really like it. What then? I think the 10% should lose. In real life they often win; .001% can win, as long as they stage a sit-in on the floor of the principal's office.'"

Some favourites from my program:
Zoom! (read by the man himself)
Braids!
Smelly Socks!
Mud Puddle

And my own kids' favourites, Get Out of Bed and Mortimer, Be Quiet! (I know it's just called Mortimer but that is not what you call it.)

You can send him a message at his website.

posted by warriorqueen (29 comments total) 13 users marked this as a favorite

'He is not immininently dying, just getting his ducks in a row re: a legal process' is an important clarification in the CBC article, just in case anyone doesn't click through to that.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:34 AM on September 16 [15 favorites]

Yeah - he isn't dying, but he is experiencing losses related to dementia. If you've been through that - it's kind of good to catch the wave on this side. From the NYT article, "Munsch is now at that unsettling, if sometimes brief, stage in the neurodegenerative process in which he is symptomatic but still self-aware."
posted by warriorqueen at 11:41 AM on September 16 [8 favorites]

My grandfather had Parkinsons. Such a shitty, shitty, way to go (not that any form of dementia is a good way, mind you.) The physical debilitation is horrible. Good on Munsch taking this step. I wasn’t aware Canada had this available.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:44 AM on September 16 [3 favorites]

This is sad news, with or without the MAID program.
posted by Dalekdad at 12:01 PM on September 16

the kind of creepy Love you Forever.

What? Until this very second, I never realized it was creepy. I read it as a child but never as an adult, I have given it to countless people as a baby shower gift, and I just read the Wikipedia entry that explains why it's kind of not okay.

LOL: "In 2020, playwright Topher Payne released an alternate ending for the book, which he titled Love You Forever & I'll Call Before I Come Over, with art in the style of the original."
posted by joannemerriam at 12:15 PM on September 16 [4 favorites]

My MetaFilter nickname is from Mortimer, which was probably my all-time favorite book to read at storytime, with Mud Puddle and Thomas' Snowsuit high on that list too. Kids *love* them and it's not hard to understand why. So sorry to hear about his troubles.
posted by ClingClang at 12:23 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

“Love you forever” is like the 2015 dress color controversy. Exactly half the people think it’s creepy and stalkery, and the other half thinks it’s cute and charming.
posted by Melismata at 12:31 PM on September 16 [4 favorites]

I'm in camp creepy, but my mom would cry reading it to grandchildren.

I think "A Promise is a Promise" provided most of the Munchian quotes we still use (Human Child, Human Child....)

Edit to say: the NY Times article linked in the FPP is really good.
posted by Rumple at 12:35 PM on September 16

I liked the article, as a kids' book person who's dealing with some parent dementia stuff.

Especially the fact that he has to choose his moment carefully so that he's still legally able to give consent for the MAID program.

One's reaction to Love You Forever probably varies widely depending on one's relationship with one's own parents. (As does how it feels to navigate having a parent with dementia). But even as someone whose mother would literally crawl through the window if she could (not in a sweet way), learning the origin of the refrain softens it. It's also interesting that it's the story he's most known for even though it's so different in tone than the rest.

His wife's note on Paperbag Princess is also of interest. That contribution really made the difference.
posted by lampoil at 12:37 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

Quite a sad update to someone who was a fixture of Canadian childhood in the 1980s and 1990s - but in one of those bizarre pop culture lacunae you sometimes find yourself in, I do not remember actually reading a Robert Munsch story as a child (although I was certainly aware of them). So for many of his books, I have a vague awareness of them but don't actually know the plots or characters. Funny how that sometime happens.

It sounds like Munsch struggled a lot more with mental health and addiction that would have been apparent from his public image. For that, I am sorry.
posted by fortitude25 at 12:49 PM on September 16 [3 favorites]

Sad to learn of this, but glad there are so many Munsch fans here. I'm partial to Andrew's Loose Tooth myself, which I think is generally considered minor Munsch but which has one of the best lines in any children's book, ever:

"What do I look like, a dentist?"

posted by Playdoughnails at 1:07 PM on September 16

I suppose it’s more accurate to say he applied for MAID. The article says he applied over five years ago, and was approved. He will still need to be legally lucid in order to commit to a date for his exit, but this he has not yet done.
posted by seanmpuckett at 1:11 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

Two stillborn children is terrible for anybody, but for a children's book author to even be able to go on is almost incomprehensible to me.
posted by jamjam at 1:17 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

I grew up with Robert Munsch, and it was wonderful rediscovering his work with my kids. I'm sad to hear about his struggles, but I'm glad he can end things on his terms.

My favourites? I think it's a tie between Murmel, Murmel, Murmel, and Jonathan Cleaned Up, Then he Heard a Sound...
posted by Alex404 at 1:46 PM on September 16

I'm not ready.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 1:54 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

I think my first taste of fairly unique Canadian childhood memories came when one night on a bus in Montreal's NDG neighbourhood; it was Halloween and there was a young woman in a dress with paper bags stapled all over and a foil crown. Everyone on the bus went yayyyyyyyyy at her costume and I had to have Shepherd explain why everyone was pleased by it.
posted by Kitteh at 2:13 PM on September 16 [8 favorites]

I read this yesterday, and feel fortunate that I read it after reading Angela's Airplane to my grandson. Had I read it before, I might not have made it through the book. I remarked to my husband this morning that not only has there been the pleasure of watching children enjoy the books and perhaps jumpstarting a lifetime's love of reading, but the shared time with children and grandchildren is priceless. Mr Munsch and his illustrators have built an incredible legacy.
posted by angiep at 2:15 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

For a time, when I was attending a lot of baby showers, I gave people Murmel Murmel, Paper Bag Princess, and Love You Forever. Murmel Murmel is definitely underrated.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 2:55 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

I was at the first showing of “I love you forever”, in the gym at first avenue public school in the early 80s, before he was a big deal, but also before his whole life had happened to him. He had so much energy for his audience.
posted by mhoye at 3:29 PM on September 16

Love you Forever made me ugly cry in public (the ferry gift shop).

I read so much Robert Munsch to my son, who was born in 1986; and I completely respect his decision to exit before his deterioration becomes too extensive.

My mother in law died recently, and she struggled with Alzheimers for nearly 13 years; if she'd had the option of MAID, I believe she would have taken it without hesitation rather than become the hollowed out self she was at the end, babbling word salad while having forgotten everything about her rather magnificent life (filmmaker, writer, journalist, feminist organiser) except that she was born in Denmark.
posted by jokeefe at 3:50 PM on September 16 [4 favorites]

Aw, I love that guy. My favorite Munsch is "I Have To Go". When the time comes, he will truly be missed.
posted by hoodrich at 3:55 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

The man is iconic for a reason! One of my favourites is Aaron’s Hair but really, it’s hard to have a a single favourite with Munsch. The other part of Munsch tales is that the drawings are so jam-packed with details that my kids and I would spend time making up our own stories based on the pictures. If I remember this correctly, the tooth fairy in Andrew’s Loose Tooth was a motorcycle-riding bad-ass that was worth a few stories of her own.

Love You Forever is both creepy and sweet. I think that many parents can understand the feeling that we want to take care of our children for all of their lives and in so doing, having that reciprocated. It’s a tear jerker.

He has been a gift and it’s our gift back to him to support him and let him know that he’s been such a positive influence on the lives of countless people. I’m glad that he’s able to have the choice on deciding when he’s done being in pain.
posted by ashbury at 4:21 PM on September 16

I lived 10 minutes away from where Robert Munsch wrote his books and read many of them to my children in the 90s. That certainly included Love You Forever.

The youngest of those children and I split the duties as primary caregivers for my mother as dementia took her away from us. We were able to keep her at home for five years, but after she was completely bedridden we eventually couldn't manage it anymore. It was another five years until she passed away, in a lovely facility, but not her home. That same child and I were with her 24/7 for the last few days a few months ago now. For us, that path started before MAID was legal in Canada, but I know what my mother would have chosen. She was a nurse for decades and had very clear opinions on the matter.

I will have my MAID paperwork in order.

Thank you for all the stories.
posted by bcd at 4:26 PM on September 16 [5 favorites]

When my kids were tiny, and before they could go trick-or-treating, they dressed up as the Paper Bag Princess and the dragon for Halloween. It is probably one of my favourite pictures of them together.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 4:34 PM on September 16 [6 favorites]

I'm partial to Jonathan Cleaned Up as the places are familiar to me: I take the Yonge subway in the morning and cycle past old city hall in the afternoon most workdays.
posted by mscibing at 5:03 AM on September 17 [2 favorites]

I heard one of the last interviews he did - he wasn't doing all that well and that was a few years ago. Its a tough choice to make but I'm glad he was able to make it.

I didn't grow up with Munsch but I read him to my kid. They had many favourites but the pie eating one, the Halloween one, and of course the farting one.
posted by Ashwagandha at 7:58 AM on September 17

I have a lot of recordings of Munch reading his own stories and they are sublime. I don't actually know where I got them from, maybe they are still available somewhere online.
posted by Zumbador at 9:12 AM on September 17 [1 favorite]

“Love you forever” is like the 2015 dress color controversy. Exactly half the people think it’s creepy and stalkery, and the other half thinks it’s cute and charming.

Or both, it could be both.

Or maybe it's a picture book that takes a real thing (sneaking in and cuddling your kid as they grow) into an absurd extreme for humour and metaphor, and isn't really advocating taking a ladder across town to break into said adult kid's house.

I never liked this book as a kid - it seemed like nothing happened. Now that I have a kid, I totally get it and every few nights, I sneak into said kid's room and pick her up and rock her back and forth and back and forth... (Yes, I will stop when she's bigger - but she's still little enough to literally pick up).
posted by jb at 7:53 PM on September 17

The Mud Puddle, however, is literally true. It happened to me, too.
posted by jb at 7:56 PM on September 17

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Bob Munsch applies for MAID September 16, 2025 11:29 AM Subscribe

Bob Munsch applies for MAID
September 16, 2025 11:29 AM Subscribe