Paulette Bourgeois CM (born July 20, 1951 in Winnipeg, Canada) is a Canadian author who currently resides in Toronto, Ontario. If you've heard of her, then you've definitely heard of Franklin, that endearing young turtle who has enchanted children and their parents since 1986.
According to Bourgeois, she came up with the idea for Franklin after the birth of her first child, being inspired by an episode of M*A*S*H, where Hawkeye Pierce admits that he is claustrophobic and says, "If I were a turtle I would be afraid of my own shell". This formed the basis of the first book Franklin in the Dark. Although her story was initially turned down by six different publishers, it found success soon after KidsCan Press took it. Since then Franklin has appeared in over 50 other books and sold over 60 million copies in over 30 languages worldwide, becoming one of the most iconic creations of children's literature, especially in his home country of Canada. All of Franklin's books have been illustrated by her longtime collaborator Brenda Clark.
And as per the grand tradition of Canadian animation, there was also an Animated Adaptation of the books produced in the Great White North by the world-renowned Nelvana studio in 1997. The cartoon, which proved to be just as beloved as the books, was followed by an All-CGI Cartoon Sequel Series titled Franklin and Friends in 2011. There have also been several movies featuring the character: Franklin and the Green Knight, Franklin's Magic Christmas, Back to School with Franklin, and Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure.
Outside of Franklin, Paulette Bourgeois has written a few other children's storybooks like Oma's Quilt and Big Sarah's Little Boots (the former of which was made into an animated short film by the National Film Board of Canada), as well as numerous non-fiction books for kids, such as the In My Neighbourhood series. She has also written news articles and columns for magazines like Chatelaine, Canadian Living, Reader's Digest, Maclean's, Homemaker's Magazine, and Today's Parent, as well as a few film and TV scripts like Loving Mrs. Twiggy and three episodes of Creepy Canada.
