I got a call from my mom the other day and she asked if I'd heard the news about Clifford. I told her I hadn't and figured it was just another excuse for her to bring up the fact that I played Clifford in my school's book parade when I was in fourth grade. Those of us in the library club got to dress up as children's book characters and spend part of the school day at the primary school, which taught kids from kindergarten to second grade. (I had a pretty awesome get-up... but don't worry, I won't subject you to photographs)
So I looked into it and found this article on NPR's website. It's amazing to think that Clifford the Big Red Dog has been around for fifty years. It doesn't seem like that long ago since I was reading them myself! The interview with Mr. & Mrs. Bridwell was particularly touching. When he says they try to respond to each letter they get, I wonder if they mean emails or actual hand-written letters. A lot has certainly changed since the time I was reading Clifford books (or parading around in his likeness) but it's nice to know that the seemingly timeless stories are still helping kids learn to read.
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