Clifford the Big Red Dog: Clifford's Manners (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I'm Emily Elizabeth, and this is Clifford..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Clifford learns to be polite and courteous in all activities in his life.

About the Author

There’s no denying that kids love Clifford®. The Big Red Dog® has been a favorite since Norman Bridwell created him over 40 years ago. "I was working as a commercial artist in New York City. There wasn’t much work, so I made some sample pictures and took them to several publishers. They all rejected my work. But one editor suggested that I try writing a book of my own to illustrate. I had done a painting of a little girl with a big red dog. That seemed like a funny idea, so I made up a story about them. I increased the dog’s size from as big as a horse to as big as a house. My wife named the dog Clifford, and we named the little girl Emily Elizabeth after our daughter. In three days I had written the story and drawn the pictures for Clifford The Big Red Dog. When Scholastic called and said they wanted the book, I was stunned." Bridwell, who grew up in Kokomo, Indiana, lives now on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, with his wife, Norma. For more information about Norman Bridwell, visit: scholastic.com/tradebooks

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Cartwheel (April 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590442856
• ISBN-13: 978-0590442855
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,948 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #7 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( B ) > Bridwell, Norman
  #39 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Situations > Manners > Fiction
  #62 in	Books > Children's Books > Animals > Pets > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly useful!, June 7, 2000

By A Customer

My 4 year old daughter found this book very interesting for a few weeks. I didn't like some of the examples it used, but only because they required a lot of explanation. It gave us a good starting point to talk about some manners, but also things like movies and the game of tennis. My daughter had never been to a movie before, so Clifford's advice not to disturb others needed some explanation. And showing a game of tennis to preschoolers seemed odd to me, to suggest playing by the rules!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Useful Way to Help Introduce Manners to Children, July 30, 2001

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

The idea of having Clifford, the Big Red Dog, demonstrate good manners is full of potential fun. Obviously, we all hope Clifford has good manners, because the alternative is too scary to think about!

The book opens with this idea: "Everyone loves Clifford because he has good manners. I taught him myself," says Emily Elizabeth. You will probably want to reinforce the idea that manners are desirable by pointing out some of their other benefits, such as being the right thing to do, avoiding fights, making everyone feel respected, and helping everyone have a better time. The book emphasizes what to do more than why to do it. But parents and grandparents need to have some role in providing help with the social graces.

The book covers saying please and thank you, writing thank-you notes for presents, waiting for one's turn, picking up one's own trash, saying "excuse me" when stepping in front of others, not talking in movies, using a handkerchief when sneezing, sharing toys with friends, putting toys away, following rules (in playing tennis?), talking when angry rather than hitting, being a good sport (smiling when lose and not boasting when win), calling ahead before visiting, arriving on time, knocking before opening a door, wiping shoes before going in, shaking hands or kissing when greeting people, washing before eating, chewing with a closed mouth, not talking while chewing, helping clean up, and saying good-bye and thank you after a visit.

By having Emily Elizabeth support all of these behaviors and having taught them to Clifford, the book sets it up as an expectation that every child should do the same. That's a nice way to establish these practices as the norm, independent of a parent's speaking in favor of them.

The book's weakness is that some of the situations in the examples won't make much sense to young children (movie theaters, playing tennis, writing thank you notes before they can write, and visiting one's sister who lives in another residence). But you can talk about those, and add some new ideas into your youngster's life.

The biggest missed opportunity is that many of the illustrations could have been much funnier. Obviously, there's a fine line here that should not be crossed because a lot of slap-stick could undermine the messages. But just a teeny bit more humor would have tickled my fancy, and made the material more memorable and interesting.

After you finish enjoying this book with your child, I suggest that you think about other examples of good manners that you appreciate providing. For example, even in these egalitarian days, it's still nice to open a door, pull out a chair, and to compliment someone. What parts of the social graces do you most enjoy receiving? Be sure to pass them along, as well.

After you, if you please!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best book we ever bought, November 28, 2001

By A Customer

Though (. . .) some of the examples being a bit odd for a preschooler, it's been one of the best books we ever bought for our son (then 2 yrs, now almost 4.) Our son absolutely adors Clifford and we use him (and the book) as a role model. When he starts, or does, something naughty, we'll ask, "Would Clifford do that?" Sounds kinda hokey, but it works.
I so highly recommend this book and have bought it for others as a gift.