Clifford's Puppy Days

Clifford's Puppy Days

by Norman Bridwell

Recounts the antics of big, lovable Clifford when he was a very small puppy

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Dogs, Classics, Kids

Paperback

First published August 1, 1989

About the author

Norman Bridwell was an American author and cartoonist, best-known for the Clifford the Big Red Dog series of children's books. Bridwell attended John Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana. He lived on Martha's Vineyard, MA, where he wrote an average of two books a year.

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all]]

I always loved Clifford as a kid. Now that I am an adult, I occasionally notice certain things in kid's books that now strike me as strange or a bit twisted. Here is a prime example:
In Puppy Days, Emily Elizabeth tells of all the trouble caused due to Clifford being so tiny as a puppy. He causes quite a commotion in a bakery, ruins a wedding cake, and a little boy lets his Saint Bernard clean the frosting off of Clifford.


Everyone is happy in the end and Emily says the boy's dog is the biggest she has ever seen until Clifford grew up.



But wait, somehow we have skipped over the real story that I want to know: why is the little boy now crippled and in a wheelchair?! What happened there Norman Bridwell?

That is all.

[R.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to love Clifford books - well, I still do!!!! :D

[Cora · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's cute, it's cool and awesome according to my first graders - verbatim.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Cool.”


(read aloud by himself at 4yo, no words missed)

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Other then the very first Clifford book in the series, this is a good starter book. It's almost like a prequal. My son is loving his boardbook more because it allows him to be independant but when we get more into the series we'll probably pick this up more.

[Ethelen V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bridwell, N. (1989). Clifford's puppy days. New York, NY: Scholastic.


Who would have thought that Clifford, the big, red dog started off so small he was bathed in a soup bowl? This story walks us through Clifford's puppy days. It discusses the care and responsibility it takes to care for a puppy as well as the adventures that goes along with having a puppy.

This is part of a series of books featuring Clifford the big, red dog. This is a great read aloud for the 2-5 year group. The story is fun but discusses an important concept in a simplistic and fun-loving manner. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and will easily draw the attention of the listeners. The story is a little dated. For example, Clifford is placed on a record player as if it was a merry go rounds. Most kids today would not know what a record player was.

[Chelsea Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book reminded me of my dogs when they are puppies. It explains how you should be careful with puppies because they are so small. I think this is a great starter book for children getting their first dog, or dealing with caring for a puppy for the first time. Clifford is so adorable, and I would read this to my kids.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short picture book about the adventures of Clifford (the big red dog) as a small puppy. Clifford is small for his age. You would never guess that he turns into a giant dog. As a result, he has some interesting adventures like being bathed in a soup bowl and getting lost in a hat.

[Jessica L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells the story of Clifford as a little puppy. It is easy to read and a good story for kids with pets.

Themes: pets, animal care

In school kids could draw a picture of one of the things Clifford did. They could also write a note to say I'm sorry to the bakery owner.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's dated (I had to explain the record player merry-go-round thing to my kids), but still funny. I particularly enjoyed the gag (literally) with Emily Elizabeth's dad eating soup out of the bowl Clifford has just bathed in. Hilarious!

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Puppy Clifford is perfectly adorable yet again in this look at how Emily Elizabeth learns to take care of him. She occasionally loses track of him and that leads to mischief.

My old homemade book database has a cute little note that when I first tried to read this to my two-year-old daughter she DNFed the read aloud because according to her, "Clifford is not a good puppy!" She has since come around and now thinks Clifford the Small Red Puppy floating on a bar of soap is "pure and adorable and the best image in the world."

(Side note: The two-page bath sequence from this book was expanded into its own book, Clifford's Bathtime, using the same basic artwork but substituting in Clifford's mother for Emily Elizabeth.)

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter can't get enough Clifford books. She loved seeing when Clifford was tiny and how big he is now. She loved the trouble he got in. I like that Clifford books utilize the pictures a lot in the storytelling. We were able to work on some predicting skills and then turn the page to see what happened. This book was very easily made interactive. Fun for Clifford lovers.

[Abbie Gerig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Modern Fanstasy
Grades: Pre K-5

These books were my favorites growing up. I would check out all of them from the school library. This book, in particular, is one of my top choices to read of the book collection because Clifford is not a big red dog, but a small red puppy. It made me think that maybe if I found the runt of a litter, I could have a big dog like Clifford too.

[Mrs Heet -Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always love a Clifford story. The illustrations in this book are a bit dated with images that modern kids wouldn't understand. There are some slightly odd things as well. Maybe a little too long for a toddler story time, but would be better for younger elementary aged kids.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's funny to learn how a big dog could have been so small at one time.

[jess ~has abandoned GR~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books when I was a little one.

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 2 year old loves following along with Clifford, narrating what he's doing and knowing what's going on each time we repeat this book. A current favorite.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puppy Clifford is extremely cute

[Cory Cornwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved this big red dog!

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute.

Kindergartener read this to us this afternoon. We were all amused at teensy Clifford's antics.

[Melissa C · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read childhood loves to your child.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood favorite

[Kaliah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the perfect book for my reading level but I wish it was a little longer.

[Little Champs]

2969

[Paige]

Clifford as a puppy life

[Marcilino Doty]

very good book

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily Elizabeth got Clifford when he was a tiny puppy She had to be careful with him, and one day he went missing after Emily Elizabeth's aunt left from visiting.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly love the juxtaposition of Clifford being an insanely tiny puppy before he became the really big dog.

[Charlie Stubbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Consistently pleases our toddler.

[Blane Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute read for the little ones or if you are feeling nostalgic ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️