Power to the people! Readers decide setting and title of new Robert Munsch book
In today’s interactive crowd-sourced world, it would seem that nothing is sacred, not even something as wholesome as a children’s book. So when Scholastic Canada’s bigwigs sat down to decide which of three possible Robert Munsch stories to turn into his 30th picture book, they thought, hey, why not let the people—and by people, we mean the Internet—decide?
Thus, the on-line Pick-a-Munsch Competition was born, as Scholastic asked fans to vote for one of three stories, set in either Rigolet, Labrador; Fort McMurray, Alberta; or Brussels, Ontario. Over 150,000 happy readers cast their votes, and as whimsical as the tar sands are, somehow tiny Rigolet managed to work its way to the top of the pile. Munsch visited the town some 20 years ago to do a reading and composed a story about an ice fishing trip with a girl named Cheryl that takes an “unexpected turn.”
If you missed the vote but still feel compelled to contribute to Munsch’s latest creative endeavour, there’s still time. Ever the tease, Scholastic is hinting on its Web site, “We might need your help choosing a title, too. (Story #2 isn’t very catchy.)” The publishing behemoth might be wise to limit public input, though. Kids these days are awfully savvy, and with Munsch’s recent revelations of past drug abuses, a barrage of smartass “snow”-related titles is likely incoming.
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