向亞瑟學(xué)習(xí)

Lincoln Miller

馬克·布朗（Marc Brown）生于1946年，是美國知名的暢銷童書創(chuàng)作者，集作家、畫家與教育專家多重身份于一身，其作品數(shù)量眾多且獲獎(jiǎng)無數(shù)。1976年，他因創(chuàng)作出版《亞瑟小子》系列首本──《我愛大鼻子》而一舉成名。

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 （插圖畫家） 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(chǔ)） right now， as you re growing，” he said.

Why do kids like Arthur？