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Robert Priest
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A brief History of Timelessness
ROBERT PRIEST: CHILDREN'S WRITER AND PERFORMER
Robert Priest is known as one of Canada's best children's writers and performers. His eclectic output of poems, songs and stories, plays and a novel has won him admirers and fans all over the globe. Aside from his 25 years of performances/workshops in schools libraries and festivals all across North America, Europe, and the Middle East, Robert has also written and performed in segments for Sesame Street, Vid Kids and Eric’s World. His novel Knights of the Endless Day was the recipient of a Special Choice Award from the Children’s Book Centre and, as a play was nominated for two Dora Awards. In l998 Robert's play Minibugs and Microchips was produced at Toronto's Young People's Theatre and received a Chalmer's Award in the Theatre for Young Audiences category.
"Bright, boisterous and ebullient Minibugs and Microchips celebrates the child and the imagination in all of us.” Jon Caplan Now Magazine
Robert’s latest collection of poetry for children, The Secret Invasion of Bananas, (Cherubim Press) is on the C.B.C.’s recommended summer reading list.
“This is a big book! It’s laugh-out-loud but it’s also a very thoughtful book. These are the sorts of poems that you can read out loud. It’s a great book for sharing and I think that children as they’re reading through it will find the poems that they want to share and they want to read out to the rest of the family. There is word magic. It’s wonderful.” Ken Setterington – CBC Summer Book Panel. (2001)
Another book of poems, Daysongs Nightsongs, of which pre-eminent children’s literature expert, Michelle Lansberg said: “This should be in every child’s home” is on the CBC’s reading list this years.
THE BOINKS
In the 1980’s along with Eric Rosser and ‘the human video’ ,Ross MacDonald, Priest formed The Boinks, a musical group for children. Their story/song cycle, Summerlong (1984) was recorded as a concept album and serialized on CBC’s nationally broadcast flag-ship show, Morningside. For two seasons he and Rosser were resident topical song writers on the CBC radio show 'Is Anybody Home'. Here they wrote two children’s songs a week dealing with the news of the day.
"Wonderful exercises for the imagination. The Boinks' Summerlong L.P. is sensational." -The Toronto Sun
The Boinks also appeared on the cover of Quill & Quire in acknowledgement of their innovative Artists in the Schools Program.. Getting students to invent fantastical, lyrical or satirical products and then write ‘commercials’ for them, an approach which the Boinks invented to stimulate music, poetry and art in young children, has since gone on to be a standard in teacher training manuals “Boink!” after all, is the sound of an idea happening. The group went on to make several very popular ‘appearances’ on CBC radio’s Morningside, where they wrote and performed ‘commercials’ for listener inventions such as “Tasty plates”, Hardhats for Seals and the all white Rubic’s Cube. Click on ‘Songs for Kids” and then “Boinks” for more, and to hear a song.
The TEDS
With his next musical group, The Teds, which also featured composer Allen Booth and playwright Djanet Sears, Robert released: Lullabies and Playsongs and Winterlong, collections of songs for younger children and their parents. A selection from both these albums is available as a book/tape package, Daysongs Nightsongs published by Groundwood Press. Of this collection Elizabeth St.Jacques has written.
'These poems will undoubtedly be memorized and sung for a long time to come.' Elizabeth ST. Jacques.
Canadian Book Review Annual
Robert’s other children’s books include; The Short Hockey Career of Amazing Jany, The Ruby Hat, The Ballad of the Blue Bonnet and A Terrible Case of the Stars.
"Rich and original!”
- Canadian Children's Literature
Robert still performs regularly for young audiences and is currently writing a new novel for children The Paper Sword
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