When Norman Bridwell first visited children’s publishing houses in 1962, one drawing in his portfolio was of a little girl and a big red dog. Little did Bridwell know, this idea would evolve into a global phenomenon, helping him to sell over 44 million books. Bridwell claims that "luck has a lot to do with it," but without his adorable illustrations, playful humor, and childlike imagination, Clifford would not have become one of the world’s most beloved dogs. Children love to see what Clifford the Big Red Dog will do next, whether it’s putting out a fire, joining the circus, or just doing tricks.
An Exclusive Interview
Reading Rockets interviewed Norman Bridwell at his home in Edgartown, Massachusetts and featured some of the footage in the second show of our television series, Launching Young Readers. Additional video clips from the interview are now available here. Click on the links below to watch or to learn more about the creator of Clifford the Big Red Dog.
The Life of Norman Bridwell
Growing up in Kokomo, Indiana, Norman Bridwell was always drawing. "I was not good at sports and my high school shop teacher, after a few days of class, took my tools away, telling me 'Here's a pad of paper instead. You seem to like to draw: stick to that,'" Bridwell remembers. But not everyone believed his drawings or writing would someday delight millions of children (and parents and teachers) around the world, a point he likes to stress during his frequent visits to schools. "I always liked to draw," Bridwell tells children, "but I was never considered very good. In school there was always someone better than me; the art teacher always liked their work better than mine. Teachers didn't like my writing either."
