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Clifford the Big Red Dog: 08/04/24
Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell (1963) is a classic of American children's picture books about a girl and her ginormous dog. The book spawned a long series of books as well as two animated series. The last time I read the book was nineteen years ago and I was the mother of a preschooler. A lot has happened since then and my feelings for the book have mellowed. When I was reading it to my oldest (then only child) I wasn't a fan. I have become more of a literal reading and more willing to accept the unexpected and the exaggerated in ways that I didn't nearly two decades ago. I like a bit of magic or nonsense in my fiction now. The other thing that's changed, is Coraline, my own big (fox) red dog. She's an English lab, and while not as tall as Clifford, she's the same general shape and temperament. Clifford, then, is about how we adjust to our pets. How we learn to live with the big ones (or small ones). How we love them and how they love us. How even when they do what comes naturally (like picking up oversized shoes, in Clifford's case) we accept them unconditionally. Five stars Comments (0)
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