Beloved N.B. children's writer honoured with first Mary Grannan Day in 2 decades

"Pioneer" children's author and multimedia maven Mary Grannan is being honoured Saturday in Fredericton on what would have been her 123rd birthday.

Grannan was one of Canada's most beloved children's writers and radio personalities in the 1940s and '50s. She was best known for her shows, Just Mary and Maggie Muggins.

"She was an extraordinary woman," said Jeremy Mouat, president of Fredericton Heritage Trust, who made the request that saw Fredericton council declare Feb. 11 Mary Grannan Day.

It's been done before, in 2002, coinciding with a large exhibit of her work, but Mouat thought it was high time to do it again, in appreciation of Grannan's contribution to a culture he described as being very much "in flux."

"She was a big deal back in the day," he said, famous for her ability to tell stories that held the attention and captured the imaginations of children.

With the passage of time, it's easy for things to slip from the public's view, he said.

Grannan and her characters became "a global sensation" in the mid-20th century, said Sue Fisher, curator of the Eileen Wallace children's literature collection at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton.

Grannan published more than 30 books, she said, making her an anomaly in Canada at the time.

WATCH |  Fredericton's Mary Grannan was a pioneer in Canadian children's media:

Earlier in the 20th century, Lucy Maud Montgomery had had success with her Anne of Green Gables books, but a few decades later "there wasn't really a children's literature presence," said Fisher.

Most books in Canada were coming from the U.S. or England. The industry only came into its own in the 1970s, she said, with the development of regional publishing.

"So, to have someone from Fredericton become a global multimedia sensation, I don't know who would have been her equal at that time.

"She was doing things that had never been done before," said Fisher.

Grannan's books were adapted from stories she originally wrote for radio, a medium she got into in 1935 at CFNB.

They were "good stories," Mouat said, "with goofy characters and happy endings."

She had an intuitive grasp of what kids would latch on to, he said.

Her stories could be "quite far-fetched," such as the tale of a cowboy child going to help Santa Claus at Christmas.

Grannan had "a lively imagination," said Mouat. She wrote thousands of stories and didn't repeat herself.

The tales of her Irish ancestors served as inspiration.

"Much of her work is this interesting mixture of her own imagination and her experience as a school teacher, and retelling the stories her mom told her," he said.

In 1939, Grannan was hired by CBC in Toronto to develop children's programming.

Her shows were "wildly popular," said Fisher.

None more so than Maggie Muggins, which began in the late '40s.

Maggie Muggins is a young girl who has a different adventure in each story.

"She's always jumping, hopping, singing. She has animal friends, and most of her interactions happen with a local farmer named Mr. McGarrity."

Grannan made a jump to TV with that series.

Mouat recalls seeing the program as a child in British Columbia, where he had a cousin Margaret who was called Maggie Muggins as a pet name.

"In a funny coincidental way she reached out and touched me even way back then when television first started," he said.

It was "the beginning of a dynasty" for CBC children's television programming, said Fisher.

"Before you had The Friendly Giant or Mr. Dressup or CBC Kids … there was Mary Grannan. She was the pioneer of it all. It's really hard to overstate her legacy."

As a businesswoman and creative personality, Grannan cast a very long shadow, said Fisher.

She was "the original children's culture marketer in Canada," she said, selling more than 11,000 Maggie Muggins dolls.

Adults enjoyed her writing, too, said Mouat.

During the Second World War, Canadian soldiers took copies of a funny poem of Grannan's, called Orville Bug, overseas and named various things bugs, after the story.

For the most part, her books have stood the test of time, said Fisher.

They're not in print anymore, but the library has hosted some celebrations with readings for children where they've been well received, she said.

"The stories still have that fresh humour and the kind of irony that happens when you have a naive character encountering the world.

"They're still quite charming to read."

Even today they can elicit chuckles or laughs, agreed Mouat.

The Fredericton Heritage Trust is applying for funding so school children in kindergarten to Grade 3 can encounter and adapt some of Grannan's stories to bring them into the 21st century, he said.

The group is also waiting for an opportunity to place a plaque that has been prepared in recognition of Grannan being declared a person of national importance by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

The hope is it will go on the Grannan House on Brunswick Street, said Mouat, which is a privately owned designated provincial heritage site.

It's owned by the Scholten family, owners of Victory Meat Market. They're well aware of the significance and the need to ensure it's respected and looked after, he said.

Fisher thinks it would be a "great spot" for a children's museum.

Fredericton has a bad habit of forgetting important trailblazers, she said.

"I think all of the children from New Brunswick need to know that they come from a place where truly remarkable people go out there and change the world around them and make the world a better place.

Mary Grannan is definitely one of those people."