Pierre Francis de Marigny Berton (July 12, 1920 – November 30, 2004)

Of his forty-seven books, this was Berton’s personal favourite, partly because the characters were inspired by his own children. The Secret World of Og brought the author more fan mail than anything else he wrote – at least a dozen letters a week from children across Canada. [source]

A CALL TO ACTION MOMENT

In 1973, when a Grade 5 student at Braemar Elementary School in North Vancouver, I wrote to one of my favourite authors, Pierre Berton, about The Secret World of Og. To my astonishment, he wrote back with a warm, generous letter that changed my life. I recall running home for lunch, meeting mom at the door. She was holding a letter behind her back. It was electrifying. I cried when I read the letter out loud.

The last sentence was A CALL TO ACTION.

“Maybe some day you can write a book about your adventures.”

I even had the chance to show the letter to him in person 30 years later at Indigo Books, North Vancouver (in 2003).

PS. I adore his illustrations in his book CATS I HAVE KNOWN AND LOVED:

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As of November 20, 2025 3:35 PM PT, 8 hours left on my Kickstarter campaign!

Potato Nose: 1977, the graphic novel

A TRAGICOMIC MEMOIR OF PUBESCENT ANXIETY AND ECSTATIC DELUSION

“If you read someone else’s diary, you get what you deserve.” ― David Sedaris