tracmd's Full Review: Norman Bridwell - Clifford's Family
During a family visit last year, my eight year old niece decided to pass on some of her books to my daughter. I was thrilled, as my daughter has loved to be read to for as long as I can remember. One of the books we received was called Clifford's Family, by Norman Bridwell. This book is part of the Clifford The Big Red Dog series. It is a soft cover book published by Scholastic.
The reader gets an introduction to Clifford's family, right inside on the title page. On this page, Clifford is holding a picture of his mom, and is looking at pictures of his big sister, big brother, little sister, and dad. When I read this to my 19 month old daughter, I always point out who each dog is. This always makes her smile.
The story begins with Emily Elizabeth, Clifford's person/owner introducing herself and Clifford. Emily Elizabeth explains that they live in a small town, but use to live in the city. She says that she and Clifford will be returning to the city to visit their old home. Once Clifford and Emily Elizabeth arrive in the city, they go to visit Clifford's mother. Clifford's mother is being walked by a man. Upon running into Clifford, she begins to examine him like any mother dog would do. She checks his teeth, ears, etc.
Clifford and Emily Elizabeth then go to visit one of Clifford's sisters.
Clifford's sister, Claudia, lived nearby.
She was taking her owner for a walk.
Claudia is taking her owner for a walk, because her owner is visibly blind. Clifford helps Claudia and her owner, by lifting up a car in the crosswalk. This is one of my favorite parts of the book as a parent, for I like that it helps introduce my daughter to the concept of blindness. I can explain that Claudia's owner can't see, and that her dog helps see for her.
After the visit with Claudia, Clifford goes to see his brother Nero. Nero is a rescue dog with a fire station. Clifford and Emily Elizabeth observe Nero helping during a fire in a building. Clifford helps too, and Nero is also commended for his bravery. I like that this part of the book touches on helping others out and bravery.
Next, Clifford and Emily Elizabeth leave the city, head into the county, and visit his other sister Bonnie. Bonnie herds sheep on a farm. Finally, Clifford goes to visit his father.
This is my favorite part of the book:
The house was small, and there were a lot
of kids playing in the yard.
Clifford's father didn't have a collar,
or a dog dish, or a dog house. But he
seemed very happy.
The graphics on these pages show that there are tons of kids hanging out all over this house. My impression is that this family has very little money, but makes up for it with tons of love. I love the point Bridwell is making with this part of the book.
The story ends with Clifford wishing that all of his family could live with him, but yet realizing they had others who relied on them. I think that this is actually a very mature point to the story, but a great point to introduce to a young child. Sometimes, we may want something, but it wouldn't be the right thing.
My daughter really enjoys this book, and has me read it to her quite often. The illustrations are cute, bold, and bright in typical Bridwell fashion. Plus, I think that she really likes hearing about each one of Clifford's family members, and their different lifestyles. As a parent, I love this book. I love that it touches on kindness (via helping others out who may be disabled), bravery, and happiness without material items. As I said, I had received this book as a gift. However, it is available for $3.50 on Amazon.com. I would highly recommend this book.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.