Now Clifford, the big red dog, has a new pet, a kitten.

 　There's no denying that kids love Clifford®. The BigRed Dog® has been a favorite since Norman Bridwell createdhim over 40 years ago. "I was working as a commercial artist in NewYork City. There wasn't much work, so I made some sample picturesand took them to several publishers. They all rejected my work. Butone editor suggested that I try writing a book of my own toillustrate. I had done a painting of a little girl with a big reddog. That seemed like a funny idea, so I made up a story aboutthem. I increased the dog's size from as big as a horse to as bigas a house. My wife named the dog Clifford, and we named the littlegirl Emily Elizabeth after our daughter. In three days I hadwritten the story and drawn the pictures for Clifford The Big RedDog. When Scholastic called and said they wanted the book, I wasstunned." Bridwell, who grew up in Kokomo, Indiana, lives now onMartha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, with his wife, Norma. For moreinformation about Norman Bridwell, visit:scholastic.com/tradebooks