Clifford the Big Red Dog is an American children's book series and media franchise focusing on the adventures of an 8-year-old blonde-haired girl named Emily Elizabeth and her titular pet: a gigantic, love-filled, red-furred dog named Clifford. It was first published in 1963 and was written by Norman Bridwell. [1] There are 91 books in the series, with the final two released posthumously after.
Norman Bridwell was the author and illustrator of numerous children's books, including the beloved Clifford series. The delightful stories about a big red dog named Clifford and his friend, Emily Elizabeth, have sold over 126 million copies in 13 languages! Clifford the Big Red Dog found his forever home at Scholastic in 1963, after being rejected by every traditional children's publisher. However, when Beatrice de Regniers, editor of Scholastic's Lucky Book Club for younger readers, read Norman Bridwell's cartoon-like picture book, she knew immediately that this red dog was something special.
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the first Clifford book, Clifford the Big Red Dog. How big is he? Very big. More than 126 million Clifford books are in print in 13 languages.
And an animated Clifford TV series is in its 12th season on PBS Kids. Earlier this year, I spoke to Norman Bridwell about his remarkable career. Aside from Clifford, he authored numerous other children's books, but none matched the widespread popularity of his big red dog.
His legacy extends beyond books; Clifford has become a cultural icon, inspiring TV shows, merchandise, and educational programs that promote reading and kindness. Clifford the Big Red Dog (Paperback) by Norman Bridwell (shelved 16 times as clifford-the-big-red-dog) avg rating 4.18 - 93,617 ratings. The Official Clifford Amazon Storefront launched in December 2021 to coincide with the Movie launch and was expanded to feature classic Clifford products, books, and apparel.
In August 2023, the film continued to make BIG marks by scoring Netflix's Top 10 worldwide, ranking #7, in over 20 international countries since July 2023. Clifford the Big Red Dog is an American children's book series. The show is about a giant red dog named Clifford.
It was first published in 1963. It was written by Norman Bridwell. Clifford is Scholastic's official mascot.
Find all things Clifford the Big Red Dog here! Explore everything from the Clifford show, to books, activity sheets, and even the Clifford movie.