MEET THE AUTHOR: ROBERT MUNSCH Produced by Joanne Culley; directed by Christina Mairin School Services of Canada, 1993. VHS cassette, 18 min., $99.95 UNE RENCONTRE AVEC L'AUTEU ROBERT MUNSCH Produced by Joanne Culley; directed by Christina Mairin School Services of Canada, 1993. VHS cassette, 18 min., $99.95 Both distributed School Services of Canada, 66 Portland St Toronto, Ont. M5V 2M8. Kindergarten to Grade 6/Ages 5 to 11 Reviewed by Therese Duval. Volume 21 Number 5 1993 October Rarely, in Canada, has a single author been as prolific and successful as Robert Munsch. I have not seen a school without wide selection of his works. Children everywhere know his name. If it's by Munsch, they know they'll like it. Teachers in many schools and at many grade levels “do” Munsch. After all, with twenty-four pub­lished books and more on the way, Munsch a ready-made theme. This video introduces us to the man air his method of writing. Children who view the tape may be surprised to see their favorite author without his trademark beard and mustache, but things change. Change underlies every word Munsch writes. The video makes it quite clear that Munsch tells his stories many, many times before he even sets them down on paper. "The Fart," one of Munsch's early creations, asks the questions. It is the interviewer. Children will like that. The interview is broken here and there by animated exerpts of some of Munsch's stories. They illustrate something that Munsch has just discussed with "The Fart." The animations are good and the idea comes across in an enjoyable fashion. There are also scenes that show Munsch in action, telling a story to a group of kids. As you can tell, I liked the video. As an elementary teacher, I can appreciate how often and by how many staff members it would be used. The teacher's guide has some good ideas that could supplement a unit on Munsch. The video would be a welcome addition to the school biographies and would serve as an excellent sample of the interview method. There is also a French version. After all, many students know Munsch better in French than in English. Therese Duval is a teacher-librarian/grade 4/5 teacher at Isaac Brock School in Winnipeg, Manitoba.