Norman Bridwell was born in Kokomo, Ind., on February 15, 1928. As a little boy, he dreamed of a dog that would be a friend and that could carry him around on its back. During high school, Norman began to draw, and focused on art as a possible career. After attending art schools in Indianapolis and New York, he began work as a commercial artist.
In 1962, after the birth of his daughter, Emily Elizabeth, Bridwell needed to supplement his income and attempted a career as a freelance artist illustrating children's books. He approached several publishers, all of which turned him down. Bridwell always stresses his early lack of success in interviews: "I always liked to draw," Bridwell tells children, "but I was never considered very good. In school there was always someone better than me; the art teacher always liked their work better than mine. Teachers didn't like my writing either."
After looking at several of Bridwell's illustrations, an editor at Harper & Row picked out one with a little girl and a big dog, and she suggested that he might try writing a story to go with the picture. Bridwell took her advice, and Clifford the Big Red Dog was born. Bridwell named the little girl Emily Elizabeth, after his daughter, and styled the dog according to the kind of dog he had imagined as a child. Within a few days, the first book was written, and he submitted it to Scholastic, who immediately expressed interest in publishing it.
Over 40 Clifford the Big Red Dog books have been published, including "Clifford and Friends," "Clifford's Kitten," "Clifford's Christmas,"Clifford's Good Deeds," and "Clifford's Family." Clifford always means well and is a good dog, but he makes mistakes, which he always rectifies by the end of the story.
The success and popularity of the Clifford the Big Red Dog books continues, with over 44 million books in print in several languages. Clifford the Big Red Dog books are widely available at local bookstores, as well as online. Scholastic, which continues as the publisher of Clifford's stories, offers many educational supplements in addition to the books.
Norman Bridwell lives on Martha's Vineyard, where he continues to write and illustrate Clifford the Big Red Dog books. He also writes another series of books featuring The Witch Next Door.