向亚瑟学习

Lincoln Miller

马克·布朗（Marc Brown）生于1946年，是美国知名的畅销童书创作者，集作家、画家与教育专家多重身份于一身，其作品数量众多且获奖无数。1976年，他因创作出版《亚瑟小子》系列首本──《我爱大鼻子》而一举成名。

I recently spoke with Marc Brown， the award winning creator of Arthur. He published the first title in the series， Arthur s Nose， in 1976. The idea came from a bedtime story Brown had told his son. Since then， Brown has published more than 25 books. The series features a group of characters who learn about respect， tolerance， friendship， hard work， patience， and other valuable traits （特征）.

Brown has just published a new book， Believe in Yourself： What We Learned from Arthur. It celebrates the characters many kids have grown up with， sharing inspiring lessons about overcoming difficulties and bridging differences.

“Kids probably like Arthur because he feels like a real kid. He makes mistakes， fights with his sister， and sometimes he ll do bad things， but he learns from them. We see Arthur learning from his mistakes， and that makes him feel like a real kid. Most of all， Arthur has a good heart. He s a good person， even though he s not perfect （完美），” Brown said.

Brown always brings a new character to life through writing. “All of the ideas for the books and TV shows come from real life. I encourage kids who are interested in becoming writers or illustrators （插图画家） to keep a sketchbook. Every day， write something down that feels important to you. Then have fun with it， or draw something.”

Meanwhile， Brown s characters acc ept responsibility and tell the truth. “The truth is so important， especially for kids. You re building your lives on a foundation （基礎） right now， as you re growing，” he said.

Why do kids like Arthur？