BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
What We Learned From Arthur
by Marc Brown ; illustrated by Marc Brown
The iconic aardvark gets a celebratory tome.
Arthur, Francine, Buster, D.W., and the rest of Elwood City celebrate 25 years of working, learning, and playing together in this rose-colored glimpse back at the Arthur series and eponymous television show. Life lessons, quotes, and warmly rendered illustrations pepper five sections ranging from “Believe in Yourself” to “Believe in Opening Your Eyes, Ears, and Heart” and “Believe in a Wonderful Kind of Day.” Less a treasury and more of a keepsake, this volume will mean the world to those who grew up watching the PBS program and reading the accompanying picture books and will mean very little to everyone else. The layout provides popular quotes from the books and show as well as new pieces of artwork that will delight die-hard fans. The material is thin but always encouraging, making for a poor reference text but an excellent eighth grade graduation present. Marc Brown’s creation has earned the love and respect of generations, and most readers will find something amusing in here, e.g., a D.W. witticism or hilarious joke from Buster that will remind them of weekday afternoons spent watching Arthur after finishing homework. The book never exploits this connection, instead seeking to pointedly remind readers of the lessons Arthur and his pals (including Pal the dog!) taught them and each other. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A sweet ode to a ’90s favorite.
(Picture book. 4-8)