On December 22, 2018, the world lost one of its greatest and most beloved educators. And we at Rubicon lost one of our dearest friends. David Booth passed away peacefully at the age of 80.

David devoted more than half a century to learning and education. As a classroom teacher, consultant, speaker, and writer, he delighted thousands with his energy, enthusiasm, and commitment. He travelled tirelessly delivering speeches and workshops and appeared on countless television and radio programs.

He was a champion of literacy for all people — especially children — and he worked with thousands of teachers and students across Canada and around the world to share his passion for reading, writing, and communication.

He was an icon in the world of education and deeply respected at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto, where he was Professor Emeritus and Coordinator of the Pre-Service Program. In his more than 30 years at OISE, he worked with teachers in creating, applying, and evaluating approaches to how children learn to read and write. He was an inspiration to so many teachers over the years and held a deep connection and respect for them. Likewise, David loved to be in the classroom working with children of all ages. Whether it was teachers or their students, David was beloved by all for his passion and irrepressible humour.

As an author, David’s imagination, creativity, wit, endless energy, and writing prowess allowed him to develop and create some of the most popular and effective classroom and teacher resources in Canadian publishing history — many of which are still being used in a variety of languages all over the world. He has also written many wonderful poetry books and children’s books.

Most importantly, David was one of the warmest and kindest people we have ever had the pleasure to know and work with. He was brilliant and demanding, full of passion, wit, and always ready to listen, learn, and work. He was, and always will be, an inspiration to all of us at Rubicon and Plumleaf Press.

We love you David, and we will miss you dearly.