Arthur's Birthday (An Arthur Adventure) - Softcover

Marc Brown is the creator of the bestselling Arthur Adventure book series and creative producer of the number-one children's PBS television series, Arthur. He has also illustrated many other books for children, including Ten Tiny Toes and If All the Animals Came Inside. Marc lives with his family in Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard.

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- The adventures of Arthur the aardvark continue as he anticipates his birthday party. Excitement builds as he hands out invitations to his friends at school--and then he discovers that Muffy is having a party on Saturday afternoon, too. The dates can't be changed; Arthur's relatives are coming, and Muffy's booked a clown and a rock band. By the next day, the boys have decided to go to Arthur's party, the girls to Muffy's. With his usual wisdom, Arthur saves the day. He and Francine forge Muffy's handwriting on new invitations, changing the location of her party to Arthur's house (his parents are included in the plan). The unsuspecting Muffy is lured there by the promise of a present too big to fit in her mailbox. Of course, the gift is a surprise party, heartily enjoyed by both boys and girls. Brown's familiar watercolors have lots of interesting details--kites caught in trees, a male relative wearing a "Liberated Partner" apron. Arthur's warm, loving family and his diplomatic approach to problem solving strike just the right note--positive and believable. The "Arthur" stories are primary-grade favorites; children will enjoy this latest offering. Other recent birthday stories are Frank Modell's Ice Cream Soup (Greenwillow, 1988), in which another joint party turns into a surprise, and the Sick-in-Bed Birthday Book (Viking, 1988) by Linda Tyler, about a delayed celebration that turns out fine. --Lucy Young Clem, Evansville Vanderburgh County Public Library, Ind.
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