Janet Lunn, 1928-2017 RIP

I'm remembering today my friend and mentor Janet Lunn, Order of Canada, Governor General's Award winner, etc, with whom I wrote The Story of Canada, first published in 1992 and republished, to our shared satisfaction, in a fine new edition just last fall.  She died early Tuesday in Ottawa.

Janet was American-born, and her brother was for many years a journalist at the Washington Post. She gave him a copy of The Story of Canada and he added it to the library there, occasionally to be borrowed by interested colleagues. One day, he told her, the Post public address system blared out: "Would whoever has the copy of The Story of Canada please send it to the editorial department."

Well, they agreed, if a kids' book had to be the Post editorialists' guide to Canada, at least it is a good kids' book."

Update, June 29: Quill and Quire has an appreciation