Marc Brown (author)

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Marc Brown
Marc brown.jpg
Brown at a Naperville, Illinois bookstore in April 2011
BornMarc Tolon Brown
(1946-11-25) November 25, 1946 (age 77)
Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation
  • Author
  • illustrator
  • executive producer
Genre Children's books, television shows
Years active1969–present
Spouse
Stephanie Marini
​
​
(m. 1968;div. 1977)​
Laurene Krasny
​
(m. 1983)​
Children3

Marc Tolon Brown (born November 25, 1946) is an American author and illustrator of children's books. Brown writes as well as illustrates the Arthur book series and is best known for creating that series and its numerous spin-offs.

Contents

Early life and education

While growing up in Erie, Pennsylvania, with his three sisters, Brown was told many stories by his grandmother Thora. This inspired Brown to write stories of his own in the later years of his life. An example of this was the "borrowing" of his 7th grade algebra teacher's name Mr. Rathbun for the character Mr. Ratburn. [1] It was Grandma Thora who also fueled Brown's affinity for drawing, which was discovered at the age of six. While attending McDowell Senior High School, his art teacher, Nancy Bryan, introduced him to watercolors, which he now uses for the majority of his illustrations. Brown was inspired by other artists like Marc Chagall. Maurice Sendak, the author of the children's book Where the Wild Things Are , also influenced Brown in deciding on a career choice.

Brown interviewed by Alison Starling at the National Book Festival in 2022 2022 National Book Festival (52343765783).jpg
Brown interviewed by Alison Starling at the National Book Festival in 2022

With the help of his Grandma Thora, Brown was able to major in graphic design at the Cleveland Institute of Art. [2] Even with the opposition from his colleagues, Brown continued with his dream to be a children's book illustrator. After graduating, Brown presented a sample of his drawings to the publishing company Houghton Mifflin, in Boston, Massachusetts, who offered him a USD$5,000 deal. This offer allowed Brown to confirm his decision of making professional illustrating his career. In 1969, he began part-time teaching at Garland Junior College in Boston and illustrated textbooks. [3]

Career

He had many different jobs before focusing solely on his writing career. [4] He was a truck driver, a short-order cook, a TV art director, and finally a college professor. Brown said his professorship was short-lived as the college went bankrupt one semester into his hiring. [5]

Brown published the first book in the Arthur series, Arthur's Nose, in 1976. The names of his two sons, Tolon Adam and Tucker Eliot, have been hidden in all of the Arthur books except for one.[ citation needed ] He also has a daughter named Eliza, whose name appears hidden in at least two books.[ citation needed ] He is a three-time Emmy award winner; the Arthur TV series adapted from the books was named number one on PBS for three years (1997, 2000, 2001). He also served as an executive producer on the show during seasons ten through twenty-five. [6]

In 2000, five audiobooks were recorded. Two more were released in 2007 and 2009. In 1996, the books were adapted into an animated television series airing on PBS. Aiming for an audience aged between four and eight years old, the show ran for nearly 25 years, officially ending on February 21, 2022. [7] In total, Brown has published over forty Arthur books as of 2011, seven audiobooks, and 2 beginner books.

Personal life

Brown married his first wife Stephanie Marini, a ballet dancer and college teacher, on September 1, 1968. [8] Together, they had two sons. [8] The marriage ended in divorce in 1977. [8] On September 11, 1983, he married his second wife, Laurene Krasny, a psychologist and writer. [8] Together, they have a daughter. [8]

He currently lives in Hingham, Massachusetts.

Bibliography

Arthur Adventure Series

D.W. Series

Arthur audiobooks

Beginner books

Chapter books

Good Sports chapter books

  • Arthur and the Race to Read
  • Arthur and the Seventh-Inning Stretcher
  • Arthur and the Recess Rookie
  • Arthur and the Best Coach Ever
  • Arthur and the Goalie Ghost
  • Arthur and the Pen-Pal Playoff

Other books written and illustrated by Marc Brown

Other books illustrated by Marc Brown

Books by Laurene Krasny Brown and Marc Brown

Dino Life Guides for Families

Other

Arthur 8×8 paperbacks

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<i>Arthurs Nose</i> Book by Marc Brown

Arthur's Nose is a 1976 children's book written and illustrated by writer Marc Brown, the first book in the Arthur Adventure series. It was focusing on the experiences of Arthur Read, a fictional anthropomorphic bipedal aardvark. The character of Arthur later acquired fame and inspired several other picture books and the PBS animated television series adaptation.

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References

  1. ↑ Lorant, Richard (November 17, 1996). "AN AARDVARK NAMED ARTHUR". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  2. ↑ "CIA Honors Arthur Illustrator Marc Brown '69". Cleveland Institute of Art. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Educational Paperback Association". www.edupaperback.org. Archived from the original on February 17, 2003. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Marc Brown Interview Transcript". Scholastic . Scholastic. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  5. ↑ Woods, Mae. (2001). Marc Brown. Abdo Pub. Co. ISBN   1577651111. OCLC   43329049.
  6. ↑ "YouTube". youtube. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  7. ↑ Hailu, Selome (February 23, 2022). "'Arthur' Creator on Ending the Beloved Series After 25 Years, Arthur's Racial Identity and the 'New Puzzles' Ahead". Variety. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Brown, Marc (Tolon) 1946– Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com.
  9. ↑ "Marc Brown". Book Finder.
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