About this book

Miranda's dad is running his first big race, and Miranda is there to cheer him on. But wait.... Is it really the other way around?

Miranda’s dad is going to his very first marathon. But they get there late and Dad sends Miranda to get him some water. Before she can bring it back, the starter’s horn goes off and the runners are off!

Miranda takes the water bottle and dashes down the course looking for her dad. She runs up hills and down hills, and catches up with runners wearing tutus and vegetable costumes and normal clothes. She asks each one: “Have you seen my dad?” Some of the runners are nice, some ignore her, and some call her a pipsqueak, but none of them has seen her father.

Finally Miranda gets to the finish line, where she finds her father ... and gets a big surprise!

Behind the scenes

Miranda wrote to Robert Munsch in 1996 and said that her dad ran marathons. Munsch did not have a marathon story, so he wrote this one and sent it to her. He had never met Miranda, but in 1998 he visited her school in Vancouver, not remembering that she went there. When he went to the school, this is what happened: The principal said, “Well, of course you want to see Miranda.” And Munsch said, “Who?” “Miranda Lee,” said the principal, “the kid in the Marathon story.” And Munsch looked at him and said: “Well, of course!” And that’s the story behind that story. ART ALERT: Did you recognize the star of another Munsch story in one of the crowd scenes? It’s Lauretta from Zoom!

Reviews

“Munsch's prose is engaging and hilarious…. Michael Martchenko's illustrations are the perfect addition to Munsch's story. The pictures are bright and full of movement, accenting the speed of the race and Miranda's desperation to find her father. When the illustrations are scrutinized closely, fun details are seen, such as on page 8 when the race announcer blows the horn and scatters a group of tiny birds. These additions make reading the story for the second time worthwhile as there is more to see each time.” — Canadian Materials

Extras

Check out The World of Munsch for more books, a checklist and fun stuff!