Customer Reviews

Clifford's Puppy Days (Clifford, the Big Red Dog)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Our younger daughter was very committed to Clifford stories, and got more laughs from them than anything else. That was particularly good since she was actually uncomfortable around big dogs.

If you know Clifford, you know that most of the humor comes from his "oversized" good intentions creating havoc with mere mortals and objects. Usually, Clifford saves the day for someone along the way, making good use of his size.

This book plays on the opposite theme, how ordinary objects overwhelm a tiny Clifford when he was a puppy. If you read this book first in the Clifford series, it will seem like a three or four star book. If you read it after some of the others, especially Clifford, The Big Red Dog, you will find the counter-humor much funnier and more charming. I based my rating on that way of using the book.

"Clifford wasn't always so big. When he was a puppy, he was very, very small." A ball is so big that it knocks Clifford over. A teddy bear falls over and pins him. He rides on an long-playing record on a turntable like a child would ride on playground equipment. Occasionally, he falls asleep in Emily Elizabeth's hat and cannot be found until she puts it on! He also rides on floating soap in the bath, until one day he slips off. After that, he gets his baths in a soup bowl. Daddy is "surprised" to learn that when he next eats his soup.

The main event is when Clifford climbs into Emily Elizabeth's aunt's purse without being noticed. When her aunt goes to a bake shop, she opens her purse to pay . . . and out pops Clifford, into all the gooey goodies! He makes quite mess.

How shall he get cleaned up? Her aunt bumps into a boy with a St. Bernard who likes whipped cream and makes short work of the mess. "The dog who brought him home was the biggest dog I had ever seen . . . until Clifford grew up." The last two pictures show the contrast of Clifford, before and after, with the St. Bernard in both illustrations.

Many children are attracted to the idea of having a puppy or kitten as a pet, but not to having a full-grown dog or cat. This book can be useful in explaining how the two are connected. You can also use this book to discuss with your child the ways that things that seem large to your child are really pretty harmless.

Enjoy people and animals of all sizes and shapes.

As a big fan of puppies, kittens and baby bunnies, my daughter really enjoyed this book which tells of Clifford the dog's days as a puppy. The little girl in the tale has lots of fun playing with Clifford and sharing in his little adventures and misadventures.

This is a great book for bedtime reading, and it is illustrated with many humorous pictures.

Darien Summers, author of The Mischievous Hare, a children's book. The Mischievous Hare

Clifford's Puppy Days is a very interesting story about a girl named Emily Elizabeth and her puppy, Clifford growing up together. Emily Elizabeth realized that Clifford wasn't like any other puppy he was very very small. Emily Elizabeth had a lot of trouble playing with Clifford and giving him baths and things like that. He was always getting lost, and somehow into trouble, but things always seemed to get better in the end. I think a good part in this story was when Clifford got lost in Emily Elizabeth's Aunt's Purse, and showed up in the bakery, and ruined a bunch of cream puffs and a big wedding cake. But in the end Clifford got home and was safe again. I would recommend this story to children ages 3-7. The lesson this book teaches is to not judge people or things by there looks or sizes, to accept what you can't see, and to enjoy it.

This book is a very interesting book. I like how Clifford grows up to be this very big red dog .And could help you out on every thing.

Clifford's Puppy Days is about Clifford the Big Read Dog when he was younger. He was very small and always got lost in things. He would hide in hats, and people's purses. I like this book because it has a little bit of comedy in it and is rather funny. It also talks about how Emily, his owner, takes care of him and loves him. I also like this book because when I was little I always wanted a puppy and my mom would never get me one. So I read these books to see what it would be like to actually have a puppy.

Emily Elizabeth describes the things that Clifford did as a tiny puppy! The balls Emily would use to play with him were too big, and so was her teddy bear. She made a merry-go-round for him, which was a record on a record player. Clifford even slept in her hat! He was too small to take a bath in the bath tub so Emily had to use a soup bowl. But one day, Emilys aunt came to visit and Clifford climbed in her purse. After Emilys aunt left, Emily and her mom looked all over for their little puppy, but they couldnt find him. Read the book to see how they find him!!
I think this is a good book for children. It shows that all big things were once tiny and harmless. I would recommend this book to children that are afraid of things that are big.

A cute story about Clifford's adventures with Emily Elizabeth while he was a tiny puppy. My picky 16 month old loves it.

This is the story of a puppy and his new neglectful owner, Emily Elizabeth. Clifford is so small that he gets himself into all kinds of trouble (with minimal supervision I might add - where are the parents during these adventures?) He's so little that Emily Elizabeth washes him in a soup bowl, which later Daddy then uses and accidentally ingests some dog hairs. Funny? Well, thankfully Daddy wasn't allergic to dog hair or else this story would be called, "Anaphylactic Shock: Emily Elizabeth's trip to see Daddy in the hospital".

However, the last page in the book reveals the horrible consequences to Clifford's actions...

So far I guess it's all in good fun until Clifford takes a ride in the Aunt's purse and then destroys several hundred dollars in wedding cake and pastries. Can you imagine that happening to your wedding cake? I'm not sure if that's supposed to be funny. In fact, my three year old son said, "Clifford's going to have to work out some sort of agreement to settle his debts since he clearly doesn't have job. That kind of enforced servitude might teach both Clifford AND Emily some responsibility!" Well, he said something like that...

After that event we flash forward to present day Clifford, who has presumably been exposed to Gamma radiation turning him into the doggie equivalent of the Incredible Hulk. But discerning readers will notice something disturbing...

Take a close look at the last page...

WHO IS THE KID IN THE WHEELCHAIR?!?!?! Since there's no mention of a paralyzed child throughout the story one can only assume that the paralysis was a retaliatory action for the damage to the wedding cake. That was the message that leapt off the pages to me anyway. Perhaps the cake was originally destined for Don Corleone's daughter! That'd explain the "message" sent to the poor paralyzed child. "Next time you leave your dog unattended we'll do more than break your legs..." Scary!

So before you buy this for your own kids, remember to explain to them the concept of personal responsibility. Maybe a pet fish will get them into less trouble...