Arthur's Mystery Envelope: An Marc Brown Arthur Chapter Book #1 (Marc Brown Arthur Chapter Books) - Hardcover

Brown, Marc

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9780316115469: Arthur's Mystery Envelope: An Marc Brown Arthur Chapter Book #1 (Marc Brown Arthur Chapter Books)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316115460 ISBN 13: 9780316115469

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 1998

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It looks like trouble when the principal asks Arthur to take home a large envelope marked "confidential".

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About the Author:

Marc Brown, who was born in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1946, received great encouragement and support from his grandmother and uncle. Inspired by the books of Maurice Sendak, Brown decided to pursue his ambition of becoming an illustrator. After receiving a B.F.A. in painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art, he worked as a TV art director, a professor of mechanical drawing, and a freelance illustrator, before becoming a writer. In his books, he addresses the fears and problems which children face and events like friendship, family, school and pets. For his illustrations, Brown uses pencil with watercolor on a variety of papers to achieve different visual effects. The "Arthur" series, about the everyday adventures of a lovable aardvark, began in 1976 and continues to this day with 25 titles published. Brown has also created other series such as the "Rhymes" series, and the nonfiction "Dinosaur" series, which conveys messages of do's and don'ts. These series, like the stories of Arthur, hold the attention of young children while transporting their imaginations on magical journeys.

From School Library Journal:

K-Gr 3--These two titles are part of a series of chapter-book novelizations of PBS's Arthur episodes. Even though the covers proclaim "A Marc Brown Arthur" and show a photograph of Brown on the jackets, the books themselves have been written by someone else, and are based on teleplays created by yet other authors. The texts are interspersed with black-and-white illustrations. Arthur and the Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club deals with an unusual theme for primary-grade audiences--censorship. Angry parents have demanded that a series of scary books be banned from the public library because they believe they are frightening their children, and Arthur and his friends decide to fight back. Arthur's Mystery Envelope concerns the young aardvark's curiosity and anxiety when the principal gives him an envelope to take home marked "PRIVATE and CONFIDENTIAL." His desire to be honest is tempered by his fear of negative consequences as he wrestles with the dilemma of whether to deliver the envelope or to "lose" it. The reading level of these books is problematic: the vocabulary exceeds that of average third graders, yet the audience of the Arthur show is usually much younger. They could be used as read-alouds, and would undoubtedly appeal to children who watch the program and to precocious younger readers.

Linda W. Tilden, Cherry Hill Library, NJ

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