Marc Brown (author)

|Marc Brown}}

Marc Tolon Brown
Occupation	Author and illustrator
Nationality	American
Genre	Children's books Television shows
Spouse	Laurie Krasny Brown
Children	3

Marc Brown (born November 25, 1946 in Erie, Pennsylvania) is an American writer of children's books. He writes as well as illustrates his Arthur books. He is best-known for the Arthur series and its spin-offs. He currently lives in Hingham, Massachusetts. The names of his two sons, Tolon and Tucker, have been hidden in all of the Arthur books except for one. He also has a daughter named Eliza, whose name appears hidden in at least one book. He is also a Daytime Emmy award winner. The "Arthur" show was named number 1 on PBS for three years. (1997, 2000, 2001)

Early Life

Marc Brown is the son of LeRoy and Renita Brown. Marc Brown was one of four children and he was the only boy. His sisters are Bonnie, Colleen, and Kimberly. When he was 10, he changed the spelling of his name M-A-R-K to M-A-R-C after Marc Chagall, the famous artist. Marc knew he wanted to be an artist from the time he was in grammar school. As a young child Marc had a passion for drawing. His grandmother saved all his drawings in a drawer. This encouraged him and made him feel important. He was inspired by artists such as Marc Chagall and Georges Seurat. One of his favorite books was Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. From that book, he realized the importance of art in picture books and it became relevant to him. So he decided to become an illustrator. Following his dreams of art, Brown went to the Cleveland Institute of Art and graduated in 1969. He majored in painting. When asked by Sierra Judy why he writes books for kids Brown responded, “Because I like kids and I was fired from all my other jobs.” In 1968, Marc married Stephanie Marini, a ballet dancer and college professor. They had two children together, Tolon and Tucker.

First Book

After attempting being an art director at a television station, a short order cook, an actor, a college professor, and illustrating textbooks, Marc decided he wanted to illustrate children’s fiction. His first book was a collaboration with Isaac Asimov called What Makes the Sun Shine? This book was published in 1971 and won the Child Study Association of America’s Children’s Books Award. After his work illustrating this book, Marc was encouraged by his editor, Emilie McLeod of the Atlantic Monthly Press, to write and illustrate his own books, this encouragement led to the birth of the popular Arthur series.

Arthur

The idea for Arthur sprung from a bedtime story Brown was telling to his son, Tolon. Tolon loved stories about obscure animals and one night asked for a story about a weird animal. That night, Brown told a story about an aardvark named Arthur who was upset about his long nose. In 1976 this story became the first in the Arthur series, Arthur’s Nose. After his first book was published, Marc and his wife Stephanie divorced. Marc then began to write and illustrate many different children’s stories about monsters, witches, dogs, and pickles. In 1979 Marc Brown published his second Arthur book, Arthur’ Eyes. In this book Arthur undergoes a transformation in his physical appearance. The first illustrations of Arthur depict him with a long nose that hides his mouth. Marc Brown changed Arthur’s nose and made it shorter so the children would be able to see Arthur smile, frown, and speak. Since this time the Arthur series has increased to include over 60 books. This includes beginner books, chapter books, and books about Arthur’s sister, D.W., and his best friend, Buster. In 1983 Marc remarried to a woman named Laurene Krasny, a psychologist and a writer. They had a daughter, Eliza. Marc writes many of his books from personal experiences and from this experience he wrote the book Arthur’s Baby. Marc Brown believes you can find inspiration all around. “There are wonderful ideas for stories all around,” says Marc. “All you have to do is keep your eyes and ears open. It might be something that happens at home with your sister. It might happen in your classroom. It might be on the bus. I feel envious of kids, because they are right in the middle of it, while I have to try and remember!” Marc Brown says that most of his Arthur books are written about his own experiences from the third grade. Marc even claims that “Arthur is the spitting image of his third-grade class picture.” Most of his characters are inspired by people Marc knows in his life. Grandma Thora is based on his own grandmother. Mr. Ratburn is inspired by his own algebra teacher growing up. Arthur’s best friend, Buster, is modeled after Marc’s best friend in elementary school, Terry Johnson. His sisters, Bonnie, Colleen, and Kimberly inspired the characters of D.W. and Francine. In 1996 the beloved Arthur series was adapted into a television show on PBS. Arthur has also been adapted into 12 educational computer games.

Dinosaur Books

Marc and his wife have collaborated together on many children’s books. Their first collaboration was a funny book about a superhero bunny called The Bionic Bunny Show. From this book they began to explore more serious subjects and created the Dinosaur series. His wife writes the stories and Brown illustrates them. Some of the topics these books discuss include divorce, death, and illness. They are designed to help families communicate with young children about these serious issues. These books include Dinosaurs Travel, Dinosaurs to the Rescue, Dinosaurs Alive and Well, When Dinosaurs Die, and Dinosaurs Divorce: A Guide for Changing Families.

Rhyme Books

Other than the Arthur and Dinosaurs books, Brown has written and illustrated a series of rhyming books. He began this series in 1980 with Finger Rhymes. Since that time the series has expanded to include Hand Rhymes, Play Rhymes, and Party Rhymes.

Awards

Marc Brown won Children’s Choice Awards for Arthur’s Nose, Arthur’s Eyes, Arthur’s Valentine, The True Francine, Arthur’s Halloween, Arthur Goes to Camp, and Arthur’s April Fool. He won the Boston-Globe Horn Book Honor Award for Why the Tides Ebb and Flow in 1980. Marc Brown’s book Swamp Monsters was chosen as the Library of Congress Book of the Year. Hand Rhymes was chosen as a Booklist Editor’s Choice in 1985 as well. The Arthur television series has won the prestigious Peabody Award, 5 Emmy Awards and 10 nominations.

List of books by Marc Brown

Beginner Books

• "A World Full of Monsters" (illustrator)
• "Arthur and the True Francine"
• "Arthur Babysits"
• “Arthur’s Birthday"
• "Arthur Clean Your Room"
• "Arthur Decks the Hall"
• "Arthur Goes to School"
• "Arthur It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll"
• "Arthur Lost and Found"
• "Arthur Meets the President"
• "Arthur Writes a story"
• "Arthur, For the Very First Time"
• "Arthur’s April Fool"
• "Arthur’s Baby"
• "Arthur’s Boo-Boo Book"
• “Arthur’s Chicken Pox"
• "Arthur’s Christmas"
• "Arthur’s Computer Disaster"
• "Arthur’s Eyes"
• "Arthur’s Family Treasury"
• “Arthur’s Family Vacation"
• "Arthur’s Fire Drill"
• "Arthur’s First Sleepover"
• "Arthur’s Friendship Treasury"
• "Arthur’s Halloween"
• "Arthur’s Homework"
• "Arthur’s New Puppy"
• "Arthur’s Nose"
• "Arthur’s Perfect Christmas"
• "Arthur’s Pet Business"
• "Arthur’s Spookiest Halloween"
• "Arthur’s Teacher Moves In"
• "Arthur’s Teacher Trouble"
• "Arthur’s Thanksgiving"
• "Arthur’s Tooth"
• "Arthur’s TV Trouble"
• "Arthur’s Underwear"
• "Arthur’s Valentine"
• "Arthur's Teacher Moves In"
• "D.W. All Wet"
• "D.W. Flips!"
• "D.W. Rides Again!"
• "D.W. the Picky Eater"
• "D.W. Thinks Big"
• "D.W.’s Guide to Preschool"
• "D.W.’s Library Card"
• "D.W.’s Lost Blankie"
• "Dinosaurs Alive and Well"
• "Dinosaurs Divorce: A Guide for Changing Families"
• "Dinosaurs to the Rescue"
• "Dinosaurs Travel"
• "Finger Rhymes"
• "From Whom The Bell Tolls"
• Glasses for D.W.
• "Hand Rhymes"
• "How to Be a Friend"
• "Monsters’s Lunch Box"
• "Party Rhymes"
• "Perfect Pigs"
• "Play Rhymes"
• "Read Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young"
• "Rex and Lilly Playtime"
• "Rex and Lilly Schooltime"
• "Spooky Riddles"
• "The Bionic Bunny Show"
• "What’s the Big Secret?"
• "When Dinosaurs Die"
• "Wild About Books"
• "Wings on Things"

Chapter Books

• "Arthur Accused"
• "Arthur and the 1,001 Dads"
• "Arthur and the Bad-Luck Brain"
• "Arthur and the Big Blow-Up"
• "Arthur and the Comet Crisis"
• "Arthur and the Cootie-Catcher"
• "Arthur and the Crunch cereal Contest"
• "Arthur and the Double Dare"
• "Arthur and the Lost Diary"
• "Arthur and the Mystery Envelope"
• "Arthur and the Nerves of Steel"
• "Arthur and the No-Brainer"
• "Arthur and the Perfect Brother"
• "Arthur and the Poetry Contest"
• "Arthur and the Popularity Test"
• "Arthur and the Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club"
• "Arthur Loses His Marbles"
• "Arthur Makes the Team"
• "Arthur Plays the Blues"
• "Arthur Rocks with Binky"
• "Arthur Writes A Story"
• "Arthur's Birthday"
• "Arthur's Eyes"
• "Binky Rules"
• "Buster Baxter, Cat Saver"
• "Buster Makes the Grade"
• "Buster’s Big Dilemma"
• "Buster’s New Friend"
• "Francine the Superstar"
• "Francine, Believe It or Not"
• "King Arthur"
• "King Arthur"
• "Locked in the Library"
• "Muffy’s Secret Admirer"
• "The Mystery of the Stolen Bike"
• "Who’s in Love with Arthur"

External links

• Bibliography