Arthur's Lost Library Book

"Arthur's Lost Library Book" is an episode of Arthur from season one. The episode was written by Joe Fallon, and its storyboards were done by Jean Lajeunesse. It first aired on September 23, 1996 along with "D.W.'s Imaginary Friend".

Plot Outline
Arthur is at the library and talks to the audience about the great things in the library, such as music to listen to, puppet shows for children, and books for everybody. He sees his friends looking through books they are interested in. Brain is looking at a book about science respectively. Francine is looking a book on sports rules so that she'll know how much better she is than everybody else and asks Arthur if he wants to challenge her. He excuses this and meets up with Buster who is reading a joke book. He tries a joke on him which makes them both giggle. Arthur loves being in the library, but remembers one time when he though they wouldn't let him enter the library again. {Title Card} A rather ugly looking hand reaches out and takes out a book from a shelf. A voice is heard saying the first chapter of the story: 'Arthur goes to the library'. Arthur and his friends arrive at the library to take out some books. Arthur sees various books one after the other and takes them out. Francine suggests he should just take one, but Arthur disagrees. At the front desk, he begins to check out, when Miss Turner tells him he can take out one more and shows him the new Scare Your Pants Off book titled "The Mysterious Hand". At this moment, the other kids see it and run toward it, but Arthur gets the first sprint and grabs it before they can. The kids try to have him give it to one of them, but he runs off to the front desk and checks it out. He takes his stack of books outside to take home. But the others continue to chase him and uses the fact that he has too many books to have him give it. But he disbelieves that he has too many and leaves on his bike, leaving his friends depressed. While riding home, he rides under a low tree branch and it knocks the top book, which was "The Mysterious Hand", off the stack and it lands on the sidewalk, Arthur doesn't notice though. Then a kid comes by and picks up the book. The ugly hand appears again and tears off 7 days off a calendar and says the second chapter: 'One Week Later'. Arthur's Mom is putting clothes in the washing machine. But in the pile of clothes she finds one of Arthur's misplaced books and calls Arthur. She gives the book to him and tells him to be more careful, yet Arthur thinks he is. Later in the treehouse Arthur and Buster are trading cards, until Buster notices one of Arthur's books next to the wall. Arthur wonders how it got there, even though it was himself. Buster asks if he liked "The Mysterious Hand". Arthur completely forgot he had it. Buster reminds him that there is a waiting for that book once it's returned. Back at home, he finds many other books that he misplaced but hasn't found the book he's looking for. He looks under the bed, when D.W. enters his room and asks what he's hiding from. He says he isn't hiding and that he's looking for "The Mysterious Hand". D.W. says she found it and Arthur bumps his head in reaction. When he looks, he only sees D.W.'s hand making a shadow in his light. Arthur scares her away out of his room and continues to try to remember where it is. He looks through the laundry, under the couch cushions, on top of the piano, and under the table in the kitchen. His Dad tells him that he didn't have that book when he brought his books home. Arthur believes that one of the kids took it while he was leaving the library. He goes to call Buster for help, but stops himself, for Buster's a suspect; everyone is. But Arthur knows that Binky wouldn't take the book, for he doesn't like to read. Arthur asks Binky to help him find the book. He accepts and asks what he needs to do. Arthur tells him they need to narrow down all the suspects. Binky asks if he gets a badge, but Arthur declines. The voice from the horrid hand is heard again, proclaiming the third chapter: 'The Investigation'. Binky and Arthur are standing in front of a bunch of kids who are screaming in fear. They continue searching and look through different books people are reading, including Brain, which Arthur was spying on in a tree. But he falls down in front of him. Later in the Sugar Bowl, Arthur tell Binky that he eliminated all suspects down to Buster, Francine, and Sue Ellen. Binky didn't have any luck, for everyone ran from him. Arthur has Binky focus on his suspects, and himself on his. Arthur continues to figure out the mystery at art class. He draws a picture of "The Mysterious Hand" book and shows it to Sue Ellen. She notices that it looks like "The Mysterious Hand" and shows him the actual book. Arthur accuses her for taking it and tries to take it from her hands. But Sue Ellen explains that she bought it for the library version is only copied, thus having Arthur let go. Later, Arthur is pushing Francine on the tire swing in the playground. Francine tells Arthur that she didn't take the book, for Muffy told her that Arthur thinks she took it. But Francine thinks he just lost it. Binky is still at work and is telling George to give it, but Binky isn't telling him what to hand over. Arthur comes and tells Binky that he should tell the others what he's looking for. But Binky thinks that if they have it, they should know. He sees another suspect and quickly investigates. Buster arrives and tells Arthur that Francine told him that Arthur thinks he took the book. Arthur thinks so for he did want it. And, same as Francine, thinks he lost it. Arthur doesn't think so for he looked everywhere. This has Buster believe that giant mole people stole the book. Arthur disagrees but is not quite sure. We zoom down and see that the mole people didn't take it. Buster tells his friend that he better find it, for they want to read it. The hideous hand appears again and pulls back a curtain, informing the audience the fourth chapter: 'It's lost, okay? Face it, you lost it.'. Arthur is having a nightmare in bed.In his nightmare, Arthur is hiding in the house from creepy looking beings that are outside. He runs from the window to the front door. Just then, the police are outside and tell him to give up the lost book. Suddenly, the door swings open and Arthur runs away from an extremely long arm that extends out and grabs him. It pulls him out of the house, across the sky and drops him in front of the library's front desk. Miss Turner is there and informs Arthur that they give special rules to those who lose library books. Arthur then has another nightmare, in which his Mom and Dad are in the hall and see a chain leading to Arthur's room. They follow the trail and see that it's connected to a book Arthur is reading. Arthur tells his parents that he now has to check out books this way. All of a sudden, the chain is pulled, thus having Arthur being pulled with it. It turns out Miss Turner is turning a crank which pulls the chain. Arthur ends up at the front desk again and Miss Turner warns him not to make her use the crank again. This has Arthur wake up screaming. That morning, Arthur is meddling around with his cereal. D.W. comments that he won't find the book in the cereal. His dad tells him that he'll have to pay for the lost book, fifteen dollars to be exact. He returns all the books back to the library, where Miss Turner asks if he enjoyed them. He answers that he did except for "The Mysterious Hand" which he lost and says that he needs to pay for it. The librarian lets Arthur know that it isn't lost and shows him the book. He points to Binky who just returned it. Arthur rushes up to Binky and asks him who had it. He answers vaguely that it was someone from school. Arthur again asks which person. Binky admits that it was himself. This has Arthur laughing, for he thinks he's joking and again asks. But Binky is serious and explains that he found it on the sidewalk and started reading it. He further explains that he didn't know it was the one he lost, but when he knew that everyone else didn't have it, he figured it might be the one he's looking for. Arthur asks why he didn't tell him. Binky claims that he would laugh. Arthur doesn't think so, but Binky knows he just did earlier. Arthur apologizes, but Binky warns him not to tell anybody that he is reading books. Arthur goes back into the library and asks he could check out the book again. But Miss Turner tells him he can't, for there's a large waiting list, which disappoints Arthur. A shadow of the hand appears once again and tells the audience that it's the end of the story, but we see that it was D.W. wearing gloves and speaking into a cardboard tube all along.

Major Roles

 * Arthur
 * Binky
 * Miss Turner

Minor Roles

 * Buster
 * Francine
 * Sue Ellen
 * D.W.
 * David Read
 * Jane Read

Cameos

 * Brain
 * Muffy
 * George
 * Mr. Haney
 * Mr. Ratburn
 * Edwin
 * Jenna
 * Fern
 * Pal
 * Baby Kate

Trivia

 * Before Arthur has his first nightmare, he isn't wearing his glasses. But before his second, he is wearing them.
 * When Arthur's mom is first seen in his second nightmare, her hair is a brighter color.
 * Arthur goes to call Buster, for he is known for his detective skill. Although the first time he is shown as a detective wasn't until the episode Arthur Accused!
 * The 'long arm of the law' is the meaning for being unable to escape the law.
 * This is the first appearance of the Scare Your Pants Off Club Books and the inside of the Sugar Bowl.
 * The Sugar Bowl itself was first seen in Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn.
 * It's rather odd how none of the kids in the library saw the new Mysterious Hand book until Arthur notices it.
 * When Arthur has his second nightmare and is dragged through the hallways of his house by a chain, you can see his foor going through one of the walls of his house very briefly; this is clearly an animation error.