Clifford The Firehouse Dog

Clifford the Big Red Dog

by Norman Bridwell

Released in time for "Fire Prevention Week" in October, Emily Elizabeth and Clifford pay a visit to Clifford's brother Nero, a fire rescue dog. While learning about fire safety, Clifford unexpectedly helps out on a fire and rescues people from a burning building. Full color illustrations.

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

32 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 1994

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

[Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clifford is a friendly dog, one who supplies love and knowledge to the puny proletariat inhabitants of a small rural town. The more love he receives in payment, the larger he grows, until his owner, Emily Elizabeth, tells him simply to "stop."

But it is never that simple. One can't just halt growth for the sake of the motivation-lacking peasants because they feel like they're not getting their fair shake. It is market growth, symbolically depicted by a large dog, ironically colored red, which helps society flourish. The working class depends upon Clifford's growth and tutelage, and it is ultimately their incompetence which perpetuates this dynamic. They are to blame for his growth and they will bend to his will, because they need him. That's the message Norman Bridwell sends us in the timeless masterpiece, Clifford the Firehouse Dog.

Clifford begins his life in a previous installment. He is puny, but upon being fed by the city peasants he begins to grow to titanic proportions. He grows so large that he must be relocated to a small rural setting where he will no longer damage those around him. In Clifford the Firehouse Dog, Clifford returns to the city to engage the peasant class once more. He mingles with them, attempts to emulate them. But when he stops (working), drops (onto a couch and collects welfare) and rolls (with the pace of government assistance) like the apathetic peasantry, he destroys the paltry vendors upon the street and then pays them off so they'll keep their mouths shut. No, Clifford is too large to simply drop out of the rat race. He is a mechanism which cannot be stopped. Even when Emily demands he stop growing, just as the weak and downtrodden demand an end to monopoly, he simply spreads out, wreaking havoc on the small businesses surrounding.

In this respect Clifford is the Wal*Mart of loveable children's story characters. But he is so much more. When danger calls, Clifford outruns the peasantry to the scene of atrocity. He begins rescuing people before the others arrive. And when they do finally arrive, he kindly gives them their fair shake, allowing them to fail at each attempt to save their peers before he jumps in to save the day.

This is where a potential problem with Bridwell's metaphorical depiction of an idealized capitalist society begins. Bridwell's society is built upon the presupposition that the endeavors of the working class are fruitless. Every attempt they make to save others are met with failure. "The heavy hose was hard to unravel. Clifford gave the firefighters a hand." (Bridwell). This depiction of the working class as incompetent allows Clifford to jump in and save the day, as if these working class veterans have never successfully stopped a fire or successfully completed the tasks allotted to them. The emphasis on worker incompetence allows the glorification of Clifford as a necessary component of the social mechanism.

But is Bridwell's depiction really flawed, or is it a carefully veiled blueprint for capitalist control over the working class drones in society, one which transcends the shallow capitalist fantasies of shortsighted writers like Ayn Rand? I vouch for the latter. To control the masses, the upper class must make themselves a necessity. They must disempower and emphasize the futility of struggle against their authority. They must breed fear and danger that outweighs their own inherent fear the working class has for them . . . and then squelch the greater dangers they fabricate. Only then can they be lauded as heroes just as Clifford is at the end of the book. Essentially, the Mega Corporation becomes a part of the people by being a necessary superior force. Marx be damned.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clifford visits the firehouse where his brother, Nero, works. There's some useful stop, drop, and roll advice given, but using this disturbing poster:

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Then Clifford goes rogue on an actual fire call and is declared a hero for showing up the firefighters and generally interfering. Hrm.

[Russell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clifford tries to play at being the hero, as he successfully did in Clifford and the Big Storm. But the foolish canine clearly has a better understanding of storms than fires.

Oh, the firemen need to get the smoke out of the building? So he makes a hole in the roof? Then he blows the smoke away? Unless the fire's already out, we've got this destructive canine acting like a massive furry bellows, fueling the deadly flames.

Oh, he's now grabbing them through open windows and carrying them to the ground to ensure their safety instead of letting them use their ladder. That's great, but he lacks goddamn opposable thumbs. I wouldn't be trusting a ride in his tenuous grasp.

Finally, I love how the firemen greet the children with bladed implements. You wouldn't be able to tell we're firemen unless we're sticking sharp objects in your direction, kids!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe the novelty has worn off big red dogs nowadays. Clifford visits a fire station, learns how to stop, drop, and roll, and then exacerbates a fire by punching a hole in the roof of a building. Good fire safety tips.

[Emily D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to read along to with my kids, and to study Spanish on my own, especially the past tense and reflexive. I love the Clifford books.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A more simple Clifford book. The children still enjoy it.

[William Sime · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love doggies! Good story and some good fire safety tips too!

[Nyjol · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's was a great book and I think that this book is a great kids book for kids of all ages.clifford was smart to brake a hole in the roof of the building that was on fire and grabing the water from the water tower and spraying it into the building to help the firefighters put the fire out.overall this book is a good lesson of helpfulness for kids.if you have kids your kids will love this book and they will learn that helping others that are having trouble taking care of somethings is ok to do but sometime being helpful can cause big problems for others so remember to teach your kids to be helpful,and caring for others like family and friends.
also look into other great clifford books and video for the whole family to enjoy they will make kids want to read and watch them again and again.
written by: Nyjol A. Morrison

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book because it helps children learn about Fire Safety as they learn and/or review fire safety vocabulary. It can be best used during "Fire Prevention Week" in October. The color illustrations open the door for discussions about Fire Safety Rules and firefighters. Students can make inferences during a read-aloud. This engaging book can be used to help motivate students to speak and work on their vocabulary.

[Modboy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Emily Elizabeth and Clifford visit Clifford's brother Nero (yes that's really his name!) at the fire station. Children learn about fire safety with the ever helpful Clifford. I love the first fire safety tip at the back of the book: "Tape the number of your Fire Department to your phone."

[Skylar Burris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Isn't it a little sadistic that Clifford's fireman relative is named Nero? These Clifford books bore me to tears...but the kids like them well enough.

[Salvador Zarate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norman Birdcall brings another addition to the famous children book series of Clifford, the big red dog. In this adventure, Clifford and I presume to be his owner, Emily Elizabeth go to the firehouse to visit Clifford's brother, Nero, the firehouse dog. The conflict of the story was when the building is in flames and many people are still stuck in the building so the firefighters and Clifford must rescue them and put out the fire. The moral of the story was learning what to do in case of a fire. I thought it was very smart to add a page talking about what to do if you are on fire, teaching the universal method of, "stop, drop and, roll" was good to teach kids who probably never thought about what to do in case of a fire. As far as the writing goes, I thought the book was a very simple book, I thought it relied heavily on the emotions brought on by the illustrations, like most children books. Another thing I wanted to add is seeing at the end of a PSA for kids about what can cause fires and how to protect yourself. I commend Norman Bridwell for the thoughtful addition of the last page.

[Samantha Ocampo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always really liked the Clifford books because they always teach a really good lesson to the young readers. Especially in this book, children are able to learn about fire safety in a funny and engaging way. Clifford is visiting his brother who is a fire rescue dog and when the bell goes off, they let Clifford go with. He shows the children reading the story about the smoke and water that it needs to get the fire out, to rescue people in the building so nobody gets hurt and even how to get the fire off you if it is on you. The way that the author approaches this is very fun for the readers because they are able to see how a giant dog like Clifford also has to follow these guidelines. The illustrations even help as they cover the entire pages and is very boldly represented to see the actions being taken. I even really liked how the author included fire safety tips in the back of the book for the readers to learn what to do in their homes. This is a great read for children to learn how to react in a fire safety situation.

[Dustin Dye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clifford the Firehouse Dog was an insipid children's book in which the giant red dog joins a fire brigade and saves the day. It teaches kids useful advice about stopping, dropping and rolling (I was pleased my 4-year-old absorbed that), but it is a predictable story where Clifford's size characteristically gets him into trouble, and he redeems himself by coming to the rescue in an over-the-top fashion. One wonders how the firefighters would have managed to put out the fire without Clifford's help. I imagine many would have burned alive. He also upstages his brother, who is an actual fire rescue dog. Mainly, I was disappointed Clifford didn't extinguish the fire in the most obvious way... by peeing on it. I mean, he's massive, so he probably has hundreds of gallons of pee at his command. It would have been hilarious after he extinguished the fire to have dozens of pee-drenched people coming out of the building and begrudgingly thanking him.

[Faith Walton · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, Clifford goes back to the city to visit his brother who works in a fire station. As they get there, a school trip arrives at the same time. Nero, Clifford's brother, teaches the kids how to stop, drop, and roll. Then the fire alarm goes off, and Clifford bounds ahead and helps to save the day. He helps the firefighters fight the fire, and everyone is safe!

This book was really cute. There's not a whole lot to this book other than Clifford saving the day. The illustrations are cute, and the words are simple. There's fire safety rules in the back which is nice to have. There's nothing really wrong with the book.

I think I would use this in my classroom for a fire safety week in class. It does have good tips for fire safety, but I don't know if I would use it as an exclusive book. I would probably try and find other books first.

[Cynthia]

Clifford goes to the fire station to visit his brother who is a fire rescue dog. Clifford ends up going on a call with the firefighters and helps them with tasks such as blowing the smoke out, helping remove people from the burning building, and helping unstick the fire hydrant when they were in need of more water. I liked how this book had a bit of humor at the beginning as it showed show Clifford tried imitating how to drop and roll but ended up bumping into many things. This could hook many children.

[Jordan Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be great to read to elementary students prior to a fire drill or any time of safety lesson. It highlights ways to keep safe if you ever come across a fire. Although, I dislike how useless the firefighters seem to be in the story. It would have been nice if they were able to do some part of their job to show kids that we can rely on them for help. Besides that, it is an innocent story where Clifford visits his dog-sized sibling who resides at the firehouse.

[Doniell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that this book allows Clifford, a dog with different abilities, to use his height and strength to make a difference. Also, it prompted my 4yo to ask questions about the story, which is a WIN in my book!

[Christine.Newmanbetheluniversityedu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Genre: Comedy and Humor Grade: PreK-K
This would be a good book for children that like the character Clifford. Since he is an over sized dog they show how he can help the fire department in an emergency. It also can teach kids what to do in fire.

[Lluepker]

Clifford goes to visit his brother Nero who is a fire rescue dog who lives at the firehouse. Clifford gets to help the firefighters. He helped people out of tall building and turned on the stuck fire hydrant.

[Marc Pagliuca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best Clifford book. My guy accidentally destroys a fruit stand, but Emily stays strapped with that cash and starts tossing hundos to keep everyone happy.

Update: Naming a fire dog Nero is wild.

[Jc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having Clifford around in a firehouse would be a very good thing indeed.

[Mira P · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Clifford book. I love how Clifford saves everyone when they have a fire in their building. Also, I especially like how he helps the fire fighters. Read the book to find out!

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clifford is a black stain on the fire department’s otherwise pristine reputation. Clifford causes hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to read Clifford books to my sons, now I read to my grandsons. They still hold up and are just as entertaining as I remembered from oh so long ago.

[Danielle Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love

[Priyanka B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaya loved this book because she loves firetrucks

[Sam Weigert]

Very fun book. Kids love the colors and liked to predict what was going to happen before we turned the page and infer what is happening before reading the pages.

[Tyeshia Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice size book, easy for kids to handle and read. Age appropriate, nice illustrations, bright colors, easy words to pronounce. Brought back memories of my childhood I still love Clifford.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goes through all of the expected sight gags, but that's not a bad thing. Not deep, but fine, and for kids who love firefighters probably better than fine.