Marc Brown

Marc Tolon Brown was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, and grew up in a family that encouraged his artistic talents. He studied graphic design at the Cleveland Institute of Art, graduating in 1969. After college, he worked as a truck driver, a short-order cook, and a college instructor before turning to children's books. His first published work, How to Be a Clown (1976), was a how-to book for aspiring circus performers, but it was the creation of Arthur the aardvark that brought him lasting fame.

The first Arthur book, Arthur's Nose (1976), introduced a young aardvark with a prominent snout, based on a bedtime story Brown told his son. The series grew to over 40 titles, including Arthur's Teacher Trouble (1986) and Arthur's Pet Business (1990), which address childhood challenges with humor and empathy. In 1996, the books were adapted into the animated TV series Arthur on PBS, which ran for 25 seasons and became one of the longest-running children's shows in American television history. Brown also created the spin-off series Buster and the D.W. books, featuring Arthur's younger sister.

Beyond Arthur, Brown has written and illustrated numerous standalone picture books, such as Hand Rhymes (1985) and Ten Tiny Toes (2014). He collaborated with his wife, Laurene Krasny Brown, on the Dino series, which tackles topics like divorce and death for young children. He also illustrated the Bionic Bunny books and contributed to the Arthur chapter book series. In 2003, he published Marc Brown's Playtime Rhymes, a collection of finger plays and nursery rhymes.

Brown's work has been widely honored. He received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Animated Program for Arthur in 2002, and the series won multiple Parents' Choice Awards. The Arthur books have been named to the American Library Association's Notable Children's Books list. In 2013, Brown was inducted into the National Hall of Fame for People with Disabilities? No, that is incorrect—he was inducted into the Erie County Hall of Fame in 2015. He has also received honorary doctorates from the Cleveland Institute of Art and other institutions.

Brown's early career included illustrating textbooks and creating educational materials for the Children's Television Workshop. He also wrote the lyrics for the Arthur theme song, performed by Ziggy Marley. The character D.W. was named after Brown's sister, and the fictional town of Elwood City was inspired by his hometown of Erie. Brown has been a longtime advocate for arts education, serving on the board of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. He also created a series of public television interstitials called Marc Brown's Paws! in the 1990s.

Aardvark

A nocturnal African mammal; Arthur is an anthropomorphic aardvark.

D.W.

Arthur's younger sister, whose name stands for Dora Winifred.

Elwood City

The fictional setting of the Arthur series.