RICHMOND —
Students at Daniel Boone Elementary met the real D.W. yesterday.
Some may ask “D.W., who’s that?”
But, ask any elementary-aged child and they will you that D.W. is the precocious and independent sister of Arthur, the star of children’s books and a PBS animated series of the same name.
D.W. (short for Dora Winifred) is based on Kim Brown, sister of Marc Brown, author/illustrator of the Arthur series for 25 years.
“All of the characters are based on real people in our family and childhood,” Kim said, “It’s an easy job, most kids have already read the book or watched the show.”
Wearing a D.W. shirt that reads, “I am not bossy, I’m assertive,” Kim shared some childhood memories with students at Daniel Boone and explained how the characters are based on real people. She gave a Powerpoint presentation during which she shared family photos.
“Sometimes, I don’t know if I should even admit that I’m the real D.W. She can be a tad sassy at times,” Kim said.
Kim read a book from the series called “D.W. the Picky Eater,” during which D.W. throws a fit after finding spinach in her salad — which she detests among a long list of other foods. Later on, D.W. tries Little Bo Peep pot pie during a birthday celebration at the Once Upon a Restaurant and loves it. Little did she know, the main ingredient was spinach.
“I bought you guys some spinach to try,” Kim told the students. “I’m just kidding,” she said after a chorus of protest from the kindergartners. Some students said they had never tried spinach. One student said he had seen this book “in a movie one time.”
Next, Kim taught students the eight steps to drawing their own Arthur, which can be found at www.pbskids.com. The kindergartners called out each step as she demonstrated on a dry-erase board.
There was a short discussion on how Arthur’s ears looked more like lightbulbs, instead of ping pong paddles, which is what Marc thinks they look like.
“Guess how many times I’ve drawn Arthur? Guess how many schools I’ve been to around the country?” Kim asked the group.
“A million,” one student answered.
“No,” she said, “but it feels like that. I’ve been to over 2,000 schools.”
When Kim finished her Arthur drawing, the students confirmed that “it looks just like him.”
The students later took the eight steps to draw Arthur in their classrooms.
Kim had presented to all grades earlier in the day and gave students an opportunity to get a Marc Brown autographed stamp on their drawings or books as a keepsake.
“Most students commented their favorite part was drawing Arthur and getting it stamped by D.W.,” said Donna Morris, library media specialist and technology coordinator at Daniel Boone.
Kim also revealed that her brother includes his children’s names in each of the books’ illustrations — a game he started to keep his own children occupied while he was trying to work at home.
After she left Daniel Boone, Kim headed to Waco Elementary to share her story with those students and then hopped on a plane headed for Litchfield, Neb., where she lives with her son, Miles.
The new state accountability system will conduct reviews of a school’s Arts & Humanities, Practical Living & Career Studies and Writing programs, Morris said.
Kim’s visit to Daniel Boone covered all three areas of the review, she said.
“Daniel Boone will continue to expose our children to wonderful authors, illustrators and artists in the future,” Morris said.
Crystal Wylie can be reached at cwylie@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, ext. 6696.
Local News
Related Photos
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Kim Brown, sister of Marc Brown, author/illustrator of the Arthur children's book series, reads "D.W. the Picky Eater" Friday to kindergartners at Daniel Boone Elementary. Kim is the inspiration for the D.W. character, seen at right.
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Kim Brown of Litchfield, Neb., demonstrates the eight steps to drawing Arthur, the children's book character created by her brother Marc Brown, for students at Daniel Boone Elementary on Friday.
The ‘real D.W.’ visits students
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