Myra Paperny facts for kids

Myra Paperny (born Myra Green on September 19, 1932) is a Canadian writer. She used to teach creative writing at colleges and universities. Before becoming a full-time author, she also worked as a newspaper reporter.

Myra Paperny is best known for her children's book, The Wooden People. This book won two important awards: the 1975 Little, Brown Children’s Book Award and the 1976 Canada Council Children's Literature Prize.

Early Life and Education

Myra Paperny was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on September 19, 1932. As a child, she lived in Ponoka, Alberta. Later, as a teenager, she moved to British Columbia.

She went to the University of British Columbia and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953. The next year, she continued her studies at Columbia University. There, she earned a Master of Science degree, focusing on journalism.

Career Highlights

Myra Paperny started her career as a newspaper reporter while still in university. She worked for the Vancouver Province in 1952 and the Vancouver News Herald in 1953.

After working in journalism, she became a freelancer for CBC Radio. Later, she began teaching. In 1965, she taught creative writing at Mount Royal College. The next year, in 1966, she moved to the University of Calgary. She taught there until 1975. After leaving teaching, she started working in public relations.

Myra Paperny also worked as an editor for a publication called Councilwoman from 1970 to 1973. Her famous book, The Wooden People, was published in 1976. She wrote more children's books later, including Take a Giant Step in 1987 and Nightmare Mountain in 1988. Her fourth book, The Greenies, came out in 2005.

Writing Style and Themes

When Myra Paperny wrote her first books, she often used memories from her own life and her family's experiences. She also did a lot of research, especially about Alberta.

For The Wooden People, she used old mail-order catalogs from a store called Eaton's. The story takes place many years before the Great Depression. Paperny said that the book's story was not directly connected to her own childhood, even though there were some similarities.

For her book The Greenies, Paperny first planned to set the story in British Columbia after World War II. However, she decided to write about Jewish children who came to Canada as orphans after the war.

Awards and Recognition

Myra Paperny received several awards for her writing. In 1975, her book The Wooden People won the Little, Brown Children’s Book Award. This was before the book was even published!

After The Wooden People was released, she won another major award. In 1976, she received the Canada Council Children's Literature Prize in the English language category. This award is one of the highest honors for Canadian writers.

Personal Life

Myra Paperny is married and has four children.