Who doesn’t like Arthur, the loveable third-grade aardvark, or his friends Buster and Brain? These characters populate over 100 books and 11 seasons of the PBS show, Arthur. And their creator, Marc Brown, who told the first Arthur story to his son 30 years ago, says he’s lucky to spend his life as an author/illustrator, “seeing the world the way a child does, keeping that sense of wonder that you tend to lose as you grow older.”
The wonder of Arthur is now a live production, Arthur LIVE! Presents Arthur Tricks the Tooth Fairy, on May 9 at 7 pm and May 10 at 11 am and 3 pm at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale. Brown says the family show features original songs and includes Arthur and pals, as well as his feisty sister DW — and the Tooth Fairy.
We chatted by phone with Brown recently. The author, who lives on Martha’s Vineyard, says that whether in books, on TV or live, “millions of children can relate to Arthur because he’s dealing with the same issues that they’re dealing with in their lives.” Yet he was initially uncomfortable with TV as a medium for his book character.
“It was my good friend Fred Rogers who showed me that the medium could be helpful to children and families,” he says. In fact, the Emmy award-winning TV show each year uses Arthur to tackle such issues as dyslexia, asthma, laryngitis, the end of the world and being a good sport.
“The show has also brought millions of children to the books,” says Brown. “I see Arthur as the spokes-aardvark for literacy. I feel I work with him to promote literacy. What upsets me is when TV is used to sell kids products. I think kids deserve better. I don’t think the government takes seriously regulations that would help children.”
That’s why he says it’s up to parents to regulate what their children watch. “The first thing parents need to do is teach their children to turn the TV off,” says Brown. “They should also talk about how much TV is appropriate, what shows they can watch and why. TV can be an opportunity to share your values with your children.”
And of course, says Brown, read to your children. “The most powerful way to increase literacy among children is to let them see their parents read. Read to kids when they’re young, and have fun with it, changing the voices. It will become a lifelong habit.”
For more information about Marc Brown and Arthur, log on to: www.marcbrownstudios.com and www.pbs.org/Arthur. To buy tickets to Arthur Live!, call 631-888-9000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.
Liza N. Burby, editor of Newsday’s Parents & Children magazine, still likes to watch Arthur and read the books whenever she has the excuse of a child around.