Marc Brown worked as a truck driver, soda jerk, actor, chicken farmer and short-order cook before he finally found his calling as a children?s author. Brown?s “Arthur” series ? more than 150 books ? has been turned into a successful television series, a motion picture and most recently, a staged musical. Brown was recently in Baltimore to promote “Arthur Tricks the Tooth Fairy” at the Hippodrome.
What kind of impact do you think you?ve made as a writer?
I?ve been talking to people whoattended schools that I visited as an author 20 years ago. Just within the past few months, I?ve met about five people who are writers who said I inspired them. It just makes me feel so good. My goal was always to get kids excited about writing, and reading, and being creative, and to find out that I made an impression on them was wonderful.
What?s your opinion of children?s television programming today?
It?s not about what we can give to children, but what we can take. Television now is all about merchandising and manipulating kids to buy things, and it?s astounding to me what children have to deal with. And we are the supposedly responsible adults putting it out there. People don?t understand the importance of the media and how it affects children.
Any more Arthur books in the making?
I?ve just finished a new one, “Arthur Visits New York,” and I?m excited about that. We?re in the process of moving to New York City ourselves, and no matter how hard I try not to, my own life does filter into Arthur?s life. It?s the cheapest form of therapy I know ? writing children?s books works out all sorts of issues.
