Mr. Darcy

Quote from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen...

Other Darcy-related posts:
Austen and Alcott
Creativity and Innovation
Pride and Prejudice
Riding with Severus Snape

Challenging Your Own Assumptions

Yesterday, while doing a bit of reading about Perks author Stephen Chbosky, I stumbled upon this quote from an interview:

"You can learn a lot from challenging your own assumptions and admitting you don't know everything."

Love it!

Learning

 "...I think you should learn, of course, and some days you must learn a great deal. But you should also have days when you allow what is already in you to swell up inside of you until it touches everything. And you can feel it inside you. If you never take time out to let that happen, then you just accumulate facts, and they begin to rattle around inside of you. You can make noise with them, but never really feel anything with them. It's hollow."
--Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (E.L. Konigsburg, 1967)

Do Good Anyway

Noted...

A Bookish Holiday

Image courtesy of Simon & Schuster

Books this bibliophile got for Christmas:

• The Black Belt Librarian: Real-World Safety and Security by Warren Graham
• Broken Pieces: A Library Life, 1941-1978 by Michael Gorman
• The Librarian's Book of Quotes compiled by Tatyana Eckstrand
• The Inheritance Cycle (series) by Christopher Paolini
• The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember by Fred Rogers

Currently reading: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Recently finished: The Southern Vampire Mysteries (Sookie Stackhouse #12): Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris

Go Placidly

I've not forgotten about this blog. Promise.

Between class, my practicum, workshops/trainings, the election (yes, I am now an elected township official) and some unfortunate family drama, I've had quite a bit on my plate lately. My practicum has been going extremely well. I have been loving every minute and will be sad once I've reached my hours. Unfortunately, the library is not in a position to hire at this time.

Tomorrow is a homework day. I hope to have the outline for my research proposal for LIS 7996 complete or at least as close to complete as possible.

Until I can write a more substantial post, I'll leave you with a poem which was recently shared by a library colleague and is incredibly fitting...

Desiderata (1927) by Max Erhmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

The Sound of Sirens

In September and October, I will be leading two discussions of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak for Sandusky District Library's One Book, One Community program. The following is a passage in which I found particularly powerful:

"Not long before the sirens signaled the end, Alex Steiner -- the man with the immovable, wooden face -- coaxed the kids from his wife's legs. He was able to reach out and grapple for his son's free hand. Kurt, still stoic and full of stare, took it up and tightened his grip gently on the hand of his sister. Soon, everyone in the cellar was holding the hand of another, and the group of Germans stood in a lumpy circle. The cold hands melted into the warm ones, and in some cases, the feeling of another human pulse was transported. It came through the layers of pale, stiffened skin. Some of them closed their eyes, waiting for their final demise, or hoping for a sign that the raid was finally over.

Did they deserve any better, these people?

How many had actively persecuted others, high on the scent of Hitler's gaze, repeating his sentences, his paragraphs, his opus? Was Rosa Hubermann responsible? The hider of a Jew? Or Hans? Did they all deserve to die? The children?

The answer to each of these questions interests me very much, though I cannot allow them to seduce me. I only know that all of those people would have sensed me that night, excluding the youngest of the children. I was the suggestion. I was the advice, my imagined feet walking into the kitchen and down the corridor.

As is often the case with humans, when I read about them in the book thief's words, I pitied them, though not as much as I felt for the ones I scooped up from various camps in that time. The Germans in basements were pitiable, surely, but at least they had a chance. That basement was not a washroom. They were not sent there for a shower. For those people, life was still achievable" (p. 375 - 376.)

The Trilogy

In September and October, I will be leading two discussions of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak for Sandusky District Library's One Book, One Community program. The following is a passage in which I found particularly powerful:

"Dear Liesel,
I know you find me pathetic and loathsome (look that word up if you don't know it), but I must tell you that I am not so stupid as to not see your footprints in the library. When I noticed the first book missing, I thought I had simply misplaced it, but then I saw the outlines of some feet on the floor in certain patches of the light.

It made me smile.

I was glad that you took what was rightfully yours. I then made the mistake of thinking that would be the end of it.

When you came back, I should have been angry, but I wasn't. I could hear you the last time, but I decided to leave you alone. You only ever take one book, and it will take a thousand visits till all of them are gone. My only hope is that one day you will knock on the front door and enter the library in a more civilized manner.

Again, I am sorry we could no longer keep your foster mother employed.

Lastly, I hope you find this dictionary and thesaurus useful as you read your stolen books.

Yours sincerely,
Ilsa Hermann"

(p. 369).

Death's Diary: Cologne

In September and October, I will be leading two discussions of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak for Sandusky District Library's One Book, One Community program. The following is a passage in which I found particularly powerful:

"The fallen hours of May 30.

I'm sure Liesel Meminger was fast asleep when more than a thousand bomber planes flew toward a place known as Köln. For me, the result was five hundred people or thereabouts. Fifty thousand others ambled homelessly around the ghostly piles of rubble, trying to work which way was which, and which slabs of broken home belonged to whom.

Five hundred souls.

I carried them in my fingers, like suitcases. Or I'd throw them over my shoulder. It was only the children I carried in my arms.

By the time I was finished, the sky was yellow, like burning newspaper. If I looked closely, I could see the words, reporting headlines commentating on the progress of the war and so forth. How I'd have loved to pull it all down, to screw up the newspaper sky and toss it away. My arms ached and I couldn't afford to burn my fingers. There was still so much work to be done" (p. 336).

Slaying of a Hypothesis

Epigraph from chapter 5 in the Wildemuth text (LIS 7996):

"The great tragedy of science -- the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact." --Thomas Henry Huxley (1907)

The Mayor's Library

In September and October, I will be leading two discussions of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak for Sandusky District Library's One Book, One Community program. The following is a passage in which I found particularly powerful:

(p. 134)
"Jesus, Mary..."

She said it out loud, the words distributed into a room that was full of cold air and books. Books everywhere! Each wall was armed with overcrowded yet immaculate shelving. It was barely possible to see the paintwork. There were all different styles and sizes of lettering on the spines of the black, the red, the every-colored books. It was one of the most beautiful things Liesel Meminger had ever seen.

With wonder, she smiled.

That such a room existed!

Even when she tried to wipe the smile away with her forearm, she realized instantly that it was a pointless exercise. She could feel the eyes of the woman traveling her body, and when she looked at her, they had rested on her face.

There was more silence than she ever though possible. It extended like an elastic, dying to break. The girl broke it.

"Can I?"

The two words stood among acres and acres of vacant, wooden-floored land. The books were miles away.

The woman nodded.

Yes, you can.

Words to Live By

A friend shared this image on Facebook and I couldn't help but think of one of my favorite quotes by Maya Angelou:

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."

Words to live by...

eBooks for Libraries

Vicki Mazure, Director at Harbor Beach Area District Library, shared a link to eBooks for Libraries where there is a currently a petition for supporters and believers in the public library to sign and a chance to speak out against the Naughty Six, as coined by the Librarian in Black!

Just tuning in?

Here's an explanation from the folks at Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library + the people at Library Renewal:

"Libraries are having trouble getting ebooks from the largest publishing companies. These publishers are adding restrictions and price increases, or simply not selling ebooks to libraries at all:

• Penguin recently ended ebook lending to public libraries.
• HarperCollins has a 26-checkout limit on each ebook … and then the library has to buy it again.
• Random House allows unrestricted access to ebooks, but recently raised prices – in some cases tripling them.
• Macmillan, Simon & Schuster and Hachette don’t sell ebooks to libraries at all.

This means that library customers can get a print copy of a book from a library, but can’t get that same book in an ebook format. But that’s not what our customers want. Our customers are readers – and our readers want books, in all formats, from libraries."

(From eBooks for Libraries)

To All Book Publishers: 

We are your customers. We buy your print books, your audiobooks, and your ebooks. We also use libraries. We love our libraries and we trust our librarians to recommend great reads. Libraries are unique places where we discover new authors, explore new genres, and connect with our neighbors over books. In many cases, we use libraries to find more of your books to buy. 

However, unlike print books, you have limited our ebook choices at libraries. We don't think this is fair – for us or for libraries. We want the choice to check out your books, in any format, from our local libraries. We want the ability to use libraries digitally just as we have with print. 

As book lenders, libraries directly and indirectly encourage us to purchase books. We will still buy your ebooks, but we need libraries to help us discover, explore, and connect. We see libraries as your partners and we respectfully ask that you work with them. 

Therefore, we sign this petition to encourage publishers to work with libraries to: 

• Provide digital content to libraries 
• Allow libraries to have access to books in all formats 
• Develop a business model that allows publishers and authors to thrive while ensuring that libraries can continue to serve readers and build collections for our communities

 Reading is your business. Reading is our business. Reading is everyone's business. 

Want to sign the petition?
Here's how: simply visit eBooks for Libraries.

Quotable Quote

Instructor Suzanne Todd, Young Adult Literature (LIS 6530), Lecture 4:
"And let me tell you, there is only one way to become literate and that is to read. It doesn't matter how you're reading or really what you're reading, but the fact that you have to practice reading in order to comprehend what it is you are reading. There's no shortcuts in this."

How true! Love this!

P.S. If you ever get an opportunity to take a class taught by Suzanne Todd, definitely take it! I truly feel that she goes above and beyond in teaching her sections. Two thumbs up.

Friendship

I love this quote from Charlotte's Web by E.B. White:

"Why did you do all this for me?" he asked. "I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you."

"You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing."

Literary Directions

Heather shared this image on my Facebook timeline with the following caption:
"...There should be one outside of every library, don't you think?"

I wholeheartedly concur! I'd really like one for at home which would be placed in the soon-to-be garden right in front of where I normally park my truck. Love it!

Words

Attitude

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." -Winston Churchill

30Y.30L Tour (#3): Brown City Public Library

Image by Andy Thompson

Thanks to Director Shirley Wood, on Thursday, November 17, I was able to tour Brown City Public Library which is located in downtown (you guessed it!) Brown City, Michigan. Confession: I walked away at the end of the tour feeling very lucky to have had the opportunity to meet Shirley. In the short time in which I was at the library, I can say that she is truly an amazing woman and has made a difference in the lives of many people. Mine included.

Location
Like my previous two 30Y30L posts, I'll start off by pinning down the location. For those that aren't familiar with the area, Brown City Public Library is located in the southwest corner of Sanilac County. In fact, part of Brown City actually lies in Lapeer County. BCPL is about 70 miles northeast of Kresge-Purdy Library which houses the School of Library and Information Science on Wayne State University's campus. Brown City is located off of M-53, otherwise known as Van Dyke Road, on M-90 East. The library is housed inside of the City Hall building.

About the Director
According to the City's website, the library was built in 1982 and Shirley has been director for 30 years. She describes herself as a lifelong bookworm who loves to read. Like the other directors interviewed, I asked a few personal questions about their favorites which included queries about technology, review sources, parts of the job, and of course, their favorite memory or story. Shirley shared a story with me about the grand opening of the library. A young family was touring and they had a child about 3 to 4 years old. Apparently the child was pretty impressed with the library because she asked Shirley, "Where's your bed?!"

Shirley's favorite part of her job was easy to answer. Without even a glimmer of delay she stated, "the people." Respecting patron privacy, I stepped away when transactions and conversations took place; however, it quickly came apparent to me that she personally knew these people and was apart of their lives. One patron gave Shirley a hug before walking out the door. When our conversation continued, she picked up where we left off...the favorite part of her job. Shirley said, "You are there through their happy and sad times...you laugh and you cry with them." I feel that Shirley captured part of the very essence of what it truly means to be a rural librarian...something in which I won't ever find in any textbook that I'll read during library school.

Advice to those entering the profession: "Love the work you get into...if you love what you do, then it's not like work!" 

Service Area and Size
As you can imagine, Brown City Public Library serves its namesake in Maple Valley Township as well as surrounding areas.

According to the Library of Michigan, BCPL is a Class 2 library which meets the following standards:

• Serves a population of 4,000 to 6,999;
• Be open a minimum of 20 hours per week;
• Employ (at least 20 hours per week) a director with at least a Level 4 certificate.

Currently, Brown City Public Library is open 34 hours a week and has an operating budget of about $45,000.

Collection 
Brown City Public Library has about 17,000 items its collection and circulates around 15,000 materials per year. I found a fabulous reference collection which would have been perfect when I was taking LIS 6120 with Dr. Anghelescu last fall semester. Among my favorites, the library had Bartlett's Quotations and The New York Public Library Desk Reference.

Like Marlette District Library, BCPL had its fiction collection separated by genre; however, they also had a science fiction and romance section with at least two genres displayed on  racks. Brown City also has a local history and genealogy collection.

With the premiere of Breaking Dawn - Part 1, I was pretty geeked to see several Twilight posters adorning the juvenile area.

Unique Observations
The library was quite busy during my visit with patrons not only using the computers, but also browsing the stacks and reading at the various tables available for use. Speaking of which, I was impressed by the amount of reading and work areas available in the library for patrons to use. Of note, BCPL is not automated and still makes use of the card catalog and check-out slips. (I absolutely love card catalogs and need to publish my set of photos I have collected.)

Because the library is housed in City Hall, the location is used as a voting precinct which requires the library to cease operation during that time. On a positive note, voting often gets non-users into the library and exposed to new materials. It isn't unusual for patronage to pick up after an election.

Also of interest, a long-time patron had her engagement photos taken within the library using the bookcases as a backdrop.

Guest Post: About Marc Brown

Guest Blogger: Kate Van Auken
Director at Rawson Memorial District Library in Cass City, Michigan

Not many people are able to pursue a career which is their life’s ambition and make a living at it. Marc Brown, author and illustrator, is one of those lucky people. Even though there were colleagues that doubted his ability, he continued to follow his talent and become a well-loved author and illustrator who is probably best known for his Arthur book series. These books were so popular with young readers they were spun off into a Public Broadcasting System (PBS) children’s program called Arthur’s World. Brown has written and illustrated over one hundred fifty Arthur adventures, but his career really began with a contract job creating illustrations for textbook type works. Brown began illustrating other author’s works and with much hard work and perseverance, embarked on a writing and illustrating journey of his own that would bring to life a famous children’s literature character along with many other works.

Biography
Mark Tolon Brown was born in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1946. In 1956 he legally changed his name to Marc because of the impact artist Marc Chagall had on him. “Through art books I discovered the work of Marc Chagall, and was so impressed, I changed my name from Mark to Marc” (Collier & Nakamura, 1993, p. 341). Brown married his first wife, Stephanie Marini, in 1968 and the couple had two children, Tolon Adam and Tucker Eliot. He divorced in 1977 and in 1983 married psychologist and writer, Laurne Krasny. Together, the couple has a daughter, Eliza Morgan.

As a child, Marc loved drawing and entertaining himself with basic pen, pencil and paper. A trip to the Chicago Art Institute found him falling in love with painting. While in high school, his art teacher suggested Marc try water colors and she went on to teach him everything she knew about this medium.

Marc then attended the Cleveland Institute of Art, majoring in painting. He studied print making, photography, textile and graphic design. His parents were not happy with his decision to attend art school and they did not provide any financial support while Marc was pursuing his education. Instead, Marc worked many part time jobs and with the help of his grandmother, Thora, he was able to attend school and graduate.

Brown landed a freelance illustrator job with Houghton Mifflin and he “learned more about opportunities in professional illustrating and decided to make it a career” (Collier & Nakamura, 1993, p. 342). In 1969, while illustrating text books, he was also teaching at Garland Junior College in Boston. Brown loved the consistency of the work, but felt he was losing his creative outlet as his illustrations were very structured and freelancers had to follow specific parameters in their illustrations.

His Legacy Begins
Marc Brown’s first non-textbook illustrations can be found in What Makes the Sun Shine? by Isaac Asimov published in 1971. Brown recalls this as a nerve wracking experience because not only was Asimov famous, but Brown never talked to him throughout the process of illustrating the text. As much as Brown enjoyed illustrating others works, he really wanted to write and illustrate his own creations.

Brown found support in colleague, Norma Farber, and magazine editor, Emilie McLeod. These two mentors gave Brown the much needed inspiration to reach his goal of becoming a published children’s author and illustrator. Arthur’s Nose, published in 1976, was Brown’s first accomplishment. Brown has gone on to write and illustrate an entire series of Arthur books which now include over one hundred picture books and over fifty chapter books. He has also written more than thirty other children’s titles and continues to illustrate the works of other authors.

Medium
For the majority of Brown’s career, he used mostly watercolor, pencil, and ink to create his illustrations. These techniques, which included concentration on character emotions, are used in the majority of the Arthur books and have evolved over thirty-five years (Lodge, 2004). In more current works by Brown, the reader notices his use of different mediums. In Wild About Books by Judy Sierra, Brown uses elaborate paintings to bring to life the author’s “rollicking” poetry (Kiefer, 2010, p. 198). Written by Lindsey Craig and illustrated by Brown, Dancing Feet! uses a collage and textured paper technique which make the artwork jump off the pages. Another example of his versatility is evident in Visiting the Art Museum that he wrote with his wife. Brown uses photographs of actual artwork from art museums around the country to bring the text to life. He is obviously very skilled when it comes to his ability to decide which illustrative technique will work best with the text of each story.

Awards
Brown, being an author and illustrator, has won many awards for his works. Among the most prestigious include eight Children’s Choice Awards from the Children’s Book Council which include Arthur’s Nose in 1976; the Horn Book Honor Award for Illustrations in 1980 for Why the Tide Ebbs and Flows; Notable Book recognition given by the American Library Association for Dinosaurs Beware! A Safety Guide in 1982, and the Library of Congress Book of the Year in 1985 for Swamp Monsters. Brown has also been recognized for his contributions to PBS and the Arthur’s World television program. The show has won many Emmy Awards as well as the Peabody Award for excellence in television (Taccone, 2005).

Examples of Works

The following examples of Brown’s illustrations were selected based on the fact that he has collaborated with a number of other authors over the years and by gathering works from each of the decades of Brown’s career, the reader may acquire a deeper understanding of his art.

   

Arthur’s Nose (1976). 
Written and illustrated by Marc Brown.  
Arthur is an aardvark and does not like his nose. It makes him feel different from his friends and he thinks he wants a new one. Arthur’s snout is very long and the illustrations are very dark brown, orange, and yellow. The lines in the drawings are very thick and bold and in Brown’s first few works, each of the characters distinctly resembles animals. Arthur’s teacher is an ape as is one of Arthur’s best friends, Francine. “A very different illustrated style than all that came after” (Brodie, 2003, p. 43). As the series progressed the illustrations have become lighter in texture and softer in color and Arthur himself has changed over the course of a few years. No longer does he have the signature long nose, but his face is more round, he wears glasses, his hands resemble those of humans and he is fully dressed.

Visiting the Art Museum (1986). 
Written and illustrated by Laurene Krasny Brown and Marc Brown.
As a family visits an art museum they are introduced to different art styles from primitive through twentieth century pop art. Watercolor and pen and ink drawings are the main illustrations in this work, but real works of art are placed strategically in the story to draw attention to the items one might see in an art museum. The contrast is very effective in setting off the text. For children reading this work, they will receive the benefit of wonderful illustrations and great photography incorporated into this story. This book is a unique way for an illustrator to highlight their talents by showcasing more than just drawings.

Arthur’s Mystery Envelope-Chapter Book 1 (1998). Written and illustrated by Marc Brown.
In this book adventure, Arthur is given a large envelope to bring home. The envelope is marked CONFIDENTIAL and Arthur is worried it has information about summer school. In this chapter book, there is one full-page illustration in each chapter. As children progress from picture books to chapter books, illustrations are less and less. Even though these sketches are black and white, there is much shadowing and shading which help to highlight items in the illustrations. The characters in these chapter books all have their mouths open signifying they are having the conversations that the text indicates. This gives the illustrations movement and makes the reader feel these characters are acting and moving along with the storyline. Chapter book illustrations, although less than a picture book, still help the emerging reader visualize the story.

Wild About Books (2004). Written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Marc Brown. 

A fast paced story about Molly McGrew who is a librarian at the Springfield library. The fun begins when she drives the bookmobile to the zoo. There has been a great deal written about this work. When author Sierra found out Marc Brown was going to provide the illustrations, she knew “he’d bring a lot of humor to the book, plus sensitivity to children’s taste in art” (Lodge, 2004, p. 33). Brown stated that he “wanted to go back to where I was when I first started creating books, when I approached books in a more painterly way” (p. 33). Creating the art for this book Brown said, “it was a bit like learning a new language. For so many years with Arthur, I’d been thinking in a linear way. With the art for those books, I define everything in line then fill in colors. Here I went back to putting color next to color to define the form rather than outline it. It is a very different way of thinking for me, and it took me a while to get use to it” (pp. 33-34). Also while illustrating and coloring this book, Brown’s wife and daughter felt he should be more aggressive with color. After hearing their comments, he went back and repainted the first half of the book.

The sheer number of animals in this book in amazing. Brown has added creative expressions and colorization to these creatures which show them as curious, timid, relaxed, happy, and excited all because of books from the book mobile. There is also a great deal of humor in the paintings. For example, an otter is reading a waterproof version of Harry Potter, the bears are licking the pages of Teddy Bear Picnic, and the giraffes are each reading about basketball players, redwood trees and skyscrapers. The originality and freshness of the double page illustrations fit perfectly with the cadence of the rhyming text. Brown said, “this was the most exciting book I’ve ever worked on and the most fun. This has opened up a lot of other ideas for me and I consider this a turning point in my career” (p. 34).

Dancing Feet! (2010). Written by Lindsey Craig and illustrated by Marc Brown. 
This work is an easy to read rhyming book that shows different animals dancing. Brown has again created an interesting array of animal characters that coordinate beautifully with Craig’s rhyming text. Bright and vivid colors draw the reader in immediately and the happy expressions and frolicking actions of the characters encourage children and adults to read and reread this work. Brown’s illustration technique was created by using hand-painted papers and a collage process that focused on cutting the paper into primary shapes (Craig, 2010). A large grey circle represents an elephant’s body while orange triangles are perfect for a duck’s feet and beak. The end papers are just as thoughtful and represent animal’s feet and tracks on the front and children dancing with the animals on the back.

Interesting Facts About Marc Brown 

• There have been more than 50 million Arthur books sold worldwide.
• Brown hides his children’s names in some of the illustrations in his works.
• Arthur’s World PBS television program is shown in over 60 countries.
• More than 4 million Arthur videos have been sold. 
• Arthur turned 35 this year.
•  Brown’s own childhood experiences and those of his three children have been the main inspiration for the Arthur stories.
• Before writing and illustrating the Arthur book series, Brown worked as a truck driver, college professor, television art director, and a short-order cook.
• In 2005, Brown wrote a controversial episode for PBS’s Postcards from Buster. Buster, Arthur’s best friend, travels the country visiting real families to teach children about diversity. While in Vermont, Buster visits a family with lesbian mothers. PBS decided not to distribute this episode to 349 member stations, although 49 decided to air the program.
• Grandma Thora in the Arthur series is based on Brown’s real life grandma Thora.
• The Arthur books promote six basic ideals: reading is fun, learning to solve problems creatively, being a good friend, connecting to family, appreciative of diversity, and having fun.

Conclusion
Marc Brown is a very versatile author and illustrator. With his Arthur series of books and collaboration with other authors, Brown has added wonderfully creative books to many home, school, and library collections. From his pen and pencil drawings, his eclectic use of colored textured papers, and his brilliant paintings, readers witness how Brown has grown in his creative talents over thirty-five years. By branching out into public television, he has been able to reach many more children who may recognize his work when they visit their libraries. Illustrators are such an important part of children’s literature and yet they are sometimes overlooked. Viewing the progression of art work in children’s books over the past few decades, illustrators and artist have employed far more detailed drawings to enhance the written word. As technology continues to evolve it will be interesting to see what new techniques will come about in the next few decades.

Kate's Opinion
Personally, I have always loved the Arthur series of books. My children grew up with them as well as The Berenstain Bears books. As a parent I loved the messages in these books as they allowed the children in the stories to solve their own problems, but parents, and in some cases grandparents, are present and influential in the story lines. I found the muted colors and soft lines in the Arthur books very calming and the characters very expressive. With Brown’s more current works, I find how much I love the bold colors and texture techniques he uses to bring the illustrations to life. He is excellent at marrying the text to the illustrations whether he has authored the book or another author has written the text. This assignment has given me a new perspective on children’s illustrators and on illustrations in general.

Sources
(2005). Marc Tolon Brown. Retrieved September 28, 2011 from encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-3416600025/brown-marc-tolon-1946.html

(2011). PBS parents. Retrieved September 26, 2011 from http://www.pbs.org/parents/arthur/index.html

Brodie, C.S. (2003). Arthur! Arthur!: Marc Brown. Retrieved September 27, 2011, from http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/hww/results/results_single_fulltext.jhtml;hwwilsonid=KVJ2OT3EEHA1BQA3DIKSFF4ADUNGIIV0

Brown, K.B., & Brown, M. (1986). Visiting the art museum. New York: E.P. Dutton.

Brown, M. (1998). Arthur’s mystery envelope. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Brown, M. (1976). Arthur’s nose. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Collier, L. & Nakamura, J. (1993). Major authors and illustrators for children and young adults, Vol. 1 A-B, Detroit, MI: Gale Research, Inc.

Craig, L. (2010). Dancing feet! New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Kiefer, B.Z. (2010). Charlotte Huck’s children’s literature. (10th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Lodge, S. (2004). Arthur author tries new tack. Retrieved September 23, 2011, from http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/hww/results/external_link_maincontentframe.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.44