Author: Norman Bridwell
Ages: Young school aged children
Type: Picture book
Rating: 3 out of 5
This picture book is about how Emily Elizabeth came about getting her dog Clifford. At first Clifford was the rent of the litter and every one told Emily he wouldn't survive being that small. There is a change in events when Emily wishes that Clifford would grow and be healthy...he grows all right..REALLY big!
In my opinion the words in this story provide very little. There is no descriptive terminology, it just states things. The illustrations on the other hand, provide a very humorous story, which is what makes this book better! The lack of words seem to be on purpose so that the reader focuses on the pictures. For example the author writes, "He was so little that he was always getting lost even in our small apartment." Then you look at the picture and you see Emily's father putting on his shoe and there is a little "ARF" coming from the shoe. The words never say where he was getting lost but when you look at the picture you know exactly what the author is taking about! These kind of illustrations bring the book to life.
Another example of the how the author tells a story through illustration is when Emily says, "In the morning the lady upstairs called us. It was about Clifford." This tells us very little about why the lady up stairs would be calling about Clifford. Then you look at the picture and you see that Clifford has grown so big that he now can see into the window of the lady that lives above Emily. The illustrations in this book let me see to scale just how small Clifford was and just how big Clifford grew to be! I also love that Clifford always says to be an imperfect puppy. First he was the runt and no one liked him then he was too big and had to shipped away! Despite Clifford's imperfections Emily stilled loved her dog, which shows the dedication and love children have towards their pets.
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