ODELL - If Warren Brown could travel back in time and ask Mark Twain one question it would be this: "What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?"

Brown, of Manteno, considers himself a Twain scholar as well as impersonator. He knows Twain liked ice cream almost as much as cigars. But while Twain was known to smoke 40 cigars a day, little is known about the American author/humorist's ice cream preferences.

Brown, as Twain, both entertained and educated at Odell Grade School last week.

He told students Twain was born in a 420-square-foot house in Florida, Mo., before the family moved to Hannibal.

"It was in Hannibal that I drowned seven times before I learned to swim," he said, adding, "How many of you think that is a true story?"

Few hands shot up, and Brown was on his way to establishing rapport with the children, who soon were looking at a picture of Twain's Hannibal home.

He told the students Twain, besides being a prolific writer, briefly was a member of a Confederate militia and was well traveled, crossing the Atlantic Ocean numerous times.

The children got life lessons, but with humorous twists:

"Always, always obey your parents when they are present." "Never tell a lie except to practice."

Brown's appearance was part of a "Bringing History to Life" grant program through the Odell Library.

"We thought it would be good to make history fun for kids," said Eric Colclasure, head librarian.

Audience participation

Fun it was. The kids giggled at Brown's humor and were eager to take part in audience participation, a big part of Brown's show.

Brown has been entertaining and educating as Twain for 12 years. At one time when he was doing more shows, he grew a mustache to complete the Twain look. Nowadays, he glues on a mustache and hopes it doesn't fall off. Getting the mustache and the rest of his makeup on takes about 30 minutes.

Brown is so into his character that on occasions he's had trouble getting out of character. "I'd come home (after a show) and my son would say 'Dad, you're still in character,'" said Brown, 57, who has a wife, three grown children and three grandchildren.

His own boss

He worked in corporate America for about 25 years, including being a manager at Allis Chalmers, before deciding to become his own boss and devote himself to "encouraging students to learn more."

Portraying Mark Twain, whose real name was Samuel Clemens, seems a natural for Brown, who bears a loose resemblance to Twain and has similar personality traits.

"We both were students of life and both 'people' people," said Brown, who plays Twain throughout the Midwest and won a Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award in 2000 for his portrayal of Clemens.

Brown strives for historical accuracy in his portrayals, including the cigars tucked in his coat pocket, but displays showmanship to keep the audience energized.

He estimates he's read 95 percent of Twain's published works. While Twain's most popular book is "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," Brown prefers Twain's lesser known "Joan of Arc."

"He was a visionary and a non-conformist. He treated all people fairly, no matter who you were," Brown said.

Twain also liked to stand out from the crowd. Nowadays, he'd "likely have a Mohawk," Brown said.

Brown has seen the most famous Twain impersonator, Hal Holbrook, perform a couple of times, once as a child and then a dozen years ago. "He's an outstanding performer and does an accurate representation of Twain," Brown said.

But Brown puts his own spin on his portrayal.

"Am I related to (country singer) Shania Twain? Yes, I think so," he said tongue-in-cheek to giggling grade school students in response to a question.

Frivolity aside, he delved into solid history. "How old am I? Good question. I was born in 1835 and died in 1910."

Brown can't resist challenging students.

"There were seven of us (Clemens) children and half of us were boys. Is that possible?"

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Living history

Here are upcoming Bringing History to Life events. All 7 p.m. shows are free and open to the public at Odell Grade School.

• Feb. 25: George Washington

• March 5: Amelia Earhart

• March 12: Teddy Roosevelt

• April 2: Betsy Ross and Ben Franklin

• April 9: Franklin D. Roosevelt

• April 21: Thomas Edison

• April 28: Harriet Tubman