Paulette Bourgeois, (born July 20, 1951) is a Canadian writer best known for creating Franklin the Turtle, the character who appears in picture books illustrated by

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

native

Brenda Clark Brenda Clark (born February 10, 1955) is a Canadian illustrator, perhaps best known for her work on the Franklin the Turtle series of children's books. She was born in Toronto and studied illustration at Sheridan College. She now lives in Port H ...

. The books have sold more than 60 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 38 languages. An animated television series, merchandise, DVDs and full-length films are based on the character.

Education and early career

Born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, Bourgeois graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in

Occupational therapy Occupational therapy (OT) is a global healthcare profession. It involves the use of assessment and intervention to develop, recover, or maintain the meaningful activities, or ''occupations'', of individuals, groups, or communities. The field of ...

from the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...

in 1974. She was a psychiatric occupational therapist for three years before deciding to focus on her writing. She studied journalism at

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World ...

then worked as a reporter for the ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

'' and

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

. She became a freelance journalist in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

contributing pieces to ''

Chatelaine Chatelaine may refer to: * Chatelaine (chain), a set of short chains on a belt worn by women and men for carrying keys, thimble and/or sewing kit, etc. *Chatelaine (horse), a racehorse * ''Chatelaine'' (magazine), an English-language Canadian wom ...

'', ''

Canadian Living ''Canadian Living'' is a monthly Canadian lifestyle magazine, which publishes articles relating to food, fashion, crafts, and health and family advice. History and profile The magazine was created by Clem Compton-Smith and his business partner, ...

'', ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

'' and ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...

''. She returned to Toronto in 1983. Bourgeois graduated with an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia in 2009.

Franklin

After the birth of her first child, Natalie, she decided to write a children's book inspired by the Season 7 episode of ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. The ...

'' entitled C*A*V*E, where

Hawkeye Pierce This is a list of characters from the ''M*A*S*H'' franchise, covering the various fictional characters appearing in the novel '' MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors'' and its sequels, the 1970 film adaptation of the novel, and the televisio ...

admits that he is

claustrophobic Claustrophobia is the fear of confined spaces. It can be triggered by many situations or stimuli, including elevators, especially when crowded to capacity, windowless rooms, and hotel rooms with closed doors and sealed windows. Even bedrooms with ...

and refuses to go into a

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

, "If I were a

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

I would be afraid of my own

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

", he explained. ''After Franklin in the Dark'' was illustrated by Brenda Clark and published in 1986. She is also the author of ''Changes in You and Me'', books about adolescence, the ''Oma's Quilt'' was developed as a short film by the National Film Board of Canada, ''Big Sarah's Little Boots'' and more. Paulette has also written dozens of non-fiction books for children including the Amazing series, the ''In My Neighbourhood'' series, ''The Sun'', and ''The Moon''. She has been a columnist for Homemaker's Magazine, written for Canadian Living, Chatelaine and Today's Parent and she provided the concept and initial research for ''"The Bee Talker"'' which aired on CBC TV's ''

The Nature of Things ''The Nature of Things'' (also, ''The Nature of Things with David Suzuki'') is a Canadian television series of documentary programs. It debuted on CBC Television on 6 November 1960. Many of the programs document nature and the effect that hum ...

''. She has written three episodes of the TV documentary series, Creepy Canada, and has just finished the script for a full-length feature film, ''Loving Mrs. Twiggy''. The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapis

asked Bourgeois to write a picture book explaining the work of occupational therapists. ''You, Me and My OT

was published in 2009. It tells the story of Emma, a feisty young girl with cerebral palsy who participates in everyday classroom occupations. She has two grown-up children, Natalie and Gordon and lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Honours

In 2003, she became a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

and in 2007, she received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from her alma mater, the University of Western Ontario, and an Award of Merit from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists.

Selected works

* ''On Your Mark, Get Set ...: All About the Olympics Then and Now'' (1987) * ''The Amazing Apple Book'' (1987) * ''The Amazing Paper Books'' (1989) * ''Starting with Space: The Sun'' (1995) * ''Starting with Space: The Moon'' (1995) * ''Oma's Quilt'' (2001)

References

External links

Maclean's Magazine - Million Dollar Turtle (Wayback Machine)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bourgeois, Paulette 1951 births Living people 20th-century Canadian writers 21st-century Canadian writers 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Canadian Broadcasting Corporation people Canadian children's writers Canadian television reporters and correspondents Carleton University alumni Franco-Manitoban people Members of the Order of Canada University of British Columbia alumni University of Western Ontario alumni Occupational therapists Writers from Winnipeg Franklin the Turtle (books)