sean o huigin facts for kids

John Higgins, born on June 27, 1942, is a Canadian poet and writer. He is also known by his Irish name, sean o huigin. He started teaching poetry in the early 1960s. Later, in the late 1970s, he began writing his own poems. During the 1980s and 1990s, sean o huigin mostly wrote poetry for children. His book, The Ghost Horse of the Mounties, won a special award in 1983 called the Canada Council Children's Literature Prize. This was the first time a book of poetry won this award! Also, in 1986, his poem "Acid Rain" was even made into a short film by the National Film Board of Canada.

About John Higgins

His Early Life and Name

John Higgins was born in Brampton, Ontario, on June 27, 1942. He later chose to rename himself "sean o huigin." This is the Irish version of his name, written in all lowercase letters. He did this to honor another writer named Padraig O Broin.

Teaching and Writing for Kids

In the early 1960s, o huigin began using a special way of performing poetry called sound poetry. He taught this to schoolchildren in North America and Great Britain. After he started writing in the late 1970s, he focused on poems for children. Many of these were published by Black Moss Press during the 1980s and 1990s.

Award-Winning Poetry

One of o huigin's most famous books is The Ghost Horse of the Mounties. This book won the 1983 Canada Council Children's Literature Prize. It was a big moment because it was the first time a book of poetry ever won this important award for children's literature.

Poems Made into Films

His poem "Acid Rain" first appeared in a book called Scary Poems for Rotten Kids. In 1986, this poem was made into a short film by the National Film Board of Canada. The book Scary Poems for Rotten Kids was later re-released in 1988 with new drawings by Scott Hughes and John Fraser. The next year, o huigin released a collection of ten poems called Monsters He Mumbled. This collection included two poems he had written earlier in the 1980s. In the 1990s, he continued to write, releasing books like King of the Birds in 1992 and A Dozen Million Spills and Other Disasters in 1993.

How He Writes

Unique Poetry Styles

When sean o huigin writes for children, he often uses short lines of poetry. He likes to write about topics that might seem a little scary. He also uses capital letters and punctuation very rarely in his poems.

Creative Book Designs

In his book Blink: A Strange Book for Children, o huigin did something very unusual. He split the words into two separate columns down the page. This design matched the poem's idea of seeing different things with each eye.

Stories and Themes

o huigin used different styles for his stories. For example, King of the Birds is a pourquoi story. This means it's a story that explains why something is the way it is. For Atmosfear, he used didacticism, which means the story teaches a lesson. The book The Ghost Horse of the Mounties was inspired by a real event. It's about horses owned by the North-West Mounted Police that were scared during a big storm in Manitoba in 1874. He also wrote two books about a real stray dog named Pickles who lived in Windsor, Ontario.