Robert Munsch donates his personal archives to Guelph, Ont. library

Author Robert Munsch laughs during an interview with The Canadian Press in Toronto on Thursday January 23, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Beloved Canadian children’s author Robert Munsch has decided to donate his personal archives to the Guelph Public Library.

Library representatives said the collection will include original drafts of his stories, notes from publishers, letters from fans, photographs and works in various formats, as well as over 75 published picture books and artifacts from his 40-year career.

Munsch is best known for his books “Love You Forever,” “The Paper Bag Princess” and “Mortimer.” The 80-year-old also inspired a love of reading in generations of children as an enthusiastic and animated storyteller.

“I write books for kids, I talk to kids, and I listen to kids,” he explained on his website.

In a New York Times profile published in September, Munsch discussed his decision to apply for MAID (Medical Assistance In Dying) after being diagnosed with dementia. He also described watching one of his brothers slowly succumb to the disease and Munsch didn’t want to prolong his own suffering.

Munsch announced his own dementia diagnosis in 2021, but no date has been set for when he may follow through with the MAID process. Canadian law requires all MAID recipients to actively consent to the procedure at the time of their death.

In response to the New York Times article, his daughter shared an update on the official Robert Munsch Facebook page.

“My dad is doing well but of course with a degenerative disease it can begin to progress quickly at any point,” she said.

Robert Munsch grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and initially had another career in mind.

“I studied for seven years to be Jesuit priest, only to find that I was lousy priest material,” he wrote on his website.

He penned his first story, eventually titled “Mortimer,” while working as a student teacher in a preschool. Munsch then moved to Canada with his wife, Ann, where they both worked in a preschool lab at the University of Guelph. It was there that Munsch was encouraged to publish his original stories.

“We are excited to have the archives of Robert Munsch added to the Guelph Public Library,” the Munsch Family said a media release. “The library has been a large part of our family’s lives. When our children were young, Robert would take the kids every week to pick out new books. Robert Munsch is happy to continue to inspire kids and adults alike through the archives.”

The library said Robert and Ann Munsch approached them in 2024 to discuss the donation.

The collection will be added to the library’s archive at its new Central location, which is set to open sometime in 2027.

“The library is honored to house and provide access to Munsch’s archives to foster a deeper understanding of the stories that shaped many of our childhoods and the man who created and brought them to life,” said Eleni Hughes, the supervisor of archives and records management for the Guelph Public Library.