Marc Tolon Brown (born November 25, 1946) is an American author and illustrator of children's books.

While attending McDowell Senior High School, his art teacher, Nancy Bryan, introduced him to watercolors, which he now uses for the majority of his illustrations.

Maurice Sendak, the author of the children's book Where the Wild Things Are, also influenced Brown in deciding on a career choice.

After graduating, Brown presented a sample of his drawings to the publishing company Houghton Mifflin, in Boston, Massachusetts, who offered him a USD$5,000 deal.

[4] He was a truck driver, a short-order cook, a TV art director, and finally a college professor.

[citation needed] He is a three-time Emmy award winner; the Arthur TV series adapted from the books was named number one on PBS for three years (1997, 2000, 2001).

Brown married his first wife Stephanie Marini, a ballet dancer and college teacher, on September 1, 1968.