Emily’s dog is the biggest, reddest dog on her street. You might remember his name—Clifford.
The idea for Emily Elizabeth in Clifford the Big Red Dog came from a real little girl. She was the daughter of the book’s author, Norman Bridwell. Mr. Bridwell died on December 12. He was 86. He had written dozens of Clifford books.
At first, Mr. Bridwell was just an illustrator. He drew cartoony pictures of his daughter Emily and a huge red bloodhound. But no one wanted to hire him. Finally, someone suggested he write a story that matched his pictures. That’s when the Clifford books were born.
God gave Mr. Bridwell a gift for writing and drawing. Mr. Bridwell was good friend, too. He tried hard to answer all of his fans’ letters. “If a child cares enough to write,” he said, “They deserve a reply.” He kept up with some of them for years—and even wrote to them after they had grown up!
