Aging Gracefully

It’s been 30 years since Hingham’s Marc Brown told his son a story about Arthur Read, an aardvark who’s a bit self-conscious about his giant nose. Since then, Arthur (who appears in Brown’s latest book, D.W.'s Guide to Perfect Manners) has gotten huge: Arthur and his compatriots boast more than 75 books and an award-winning national cartoon produced locally by WGBH, all the while managing to remain funny and relevant—new storylines about computers speak to today’s generation. But like many stars aging before the public’s eye, it seems Arthur’s had some work done. On his 30th birthday, his once trademark whiffer is now slim, and sadly, almost unrecognizable.