Bridwell norman biography definition

American author and cartoonist

Norman Ray Bridwell (February 15, 1928 – December 12, 2014) was an American author and cartoonist best known for creating the Clifford the Big Red Dog book series.

Early life and education

Bridwell was born on February 15, 1928, in Kokomo, Indiana, to Leona and Vern Bridwell (a homemaker and factory worker, respectively). Growing up, Bridwell was known to draw frequently, however, he never thought of himself as being any good at it. When he attended Kokomo High School in the 1940s he believed that there were always students better than him in his art and writing classes. Nevertheless, after graduating high school in 1945, Bridwell went on to pursue art at the John Herron School of Art at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis and Cooper Union in New York City.

Career

Bridwell began his artistic career as a freelance commercial artist in New York, however, he still found himself struggling to pay the bills while supporting his wife and young daughter. In order to make some extra money, Bridwell organized a portfolio in 1962 and attempted to get a job as a children's book illustrator, but he was rejected by approximately fifteen publishing houses. While at Harper & Row, an editor, believing that Bridwell's art was not good enough to be sold on its own, suggested he turn one of his drawings into a story. The drawing that the editor picked out for this task was of a young girl and a horse-sized bloodhound, and the story became Clifford the Big Red Dog. The first Clifford book was published in 1963 and spawned over 75 Clifford titles (not all written by Bridwell), three animated television series, merchandise, a live musical, and a live-action film. Clifford serves as the official mascot of

American children's book series

This article is about the children's book series. For the character in other media, see Clifford the Big Red Dog (disambiguation).

Clifford the Big Red Dog is an American children's book series about the adventures of a girl named Emily Elizabeth and her titular pet: a gigantic, red-furred dog named Clifford. It was first published in 1963 and was written by Norman Bridwell. Clifford is Scholastic's official mascot.

Concept and creation

The character was inspired by author Norman Bridwell's childhood desire to own a dog the size of a horse. In 1962, Bridwell included paintings of what would become Clifford the Big Red Dog (who was named ‘Tiny’ at the time) in a portfolio of children's literature illustrations. In the process of showcasing his portfolio for publishing houses, Susan Hirschman at Harper & Row suggested that Bridwell turn his drawings into a children's story. Bridwell then developed a story around the dog and his owner, which he would eventually submit to Scholastic. His wife suggested the name "Clifford" after her imaginary friend from her childhood, and Emily Elizabeth was named after Bridwell's daughter. The first book in the series was originally published by Scholastic in 1963.

Characters

• Clifford is a male red dog whose appearance, disposition and behavior are based on a giant dog. His size is inconsistent: While he is often shown being about 25 feet (7.5 m) tall from paws to head, Clifford can appear far larger. The character's name is based on the imaginary childhood friend of Norman Bridwell's wife, Norma Bridwell. Bridwell originally wanted to name the dog "Tiny", but his wife persuaded him that "Clifford" was better.

Norman Bridwell shows the essence of growth mindset. From being told in high school that he wasn't very good at most things, to being told he wouldn't make it as an illustrator, he didn't give up. He set his mind to grow. The origin of Clifford the Big Red Dog is a great one for kids to hear about.

This set of organizers can be printed or used in Google slides. This set gives students a place to dive deeper into each of these beloved children books.

Skills Addressed:
★Reading Comprehension
★Cause & Effect
★Beginning, Middle, End
★Problem/Solution
★Comparing & Contrasting
★Writing Opinions
★Summary Writing
★Sequencing Events
★Simple Persuasive Writing

Books Covered:
❶Clifford, the Big Red Dog
❷Clifford Takes a Trip
❸Clifford and the Grouchy Neighbors
❹Clifford's Manners
❺Clifford's Good Deeds
❻Clifford Gets a Job
➐Clifford's Birthday Party
➑Clifford Goes to Dog School
❾Clifford and the Big Storm
❿Clifford's Spring Clean
❶➊Clifford at the Circus


Contents:
p.2-6 – Thanks, Preview, Contents
p.7 – Reading Comp. and GO Chart Explanation
p.8-9 – Norman Bridwell Reading Comprehension Passage
p.10-11 – About the Author GO Chart
p.12-17 – Character Analysis GO Charts
p.18-35 – Compare & Contrast Books
p.36-57 –Cause & Effect Prompts GO Charts
p.58-77 – Story Elements GO Charts
p.78 – Interactive Notebook Explanation
p.79-81 – Interactive Notebook Direction Cards
p.82-83 - Story Elements Spinner (Interactive Notebook Piece)
p.84 – Compare/Contrast Venn – Clifford and Typical Dog (Interactive Notebook Piece)
p.85-93 – Sequence the Book Pages (Interactive Notebook Piece)
p.94-96 – Staggered Book Retell (Interactive Notebook Piece)
p.97-99 – Pizza Retell Summaries (Interactive Notebook Piece)
p.100-102 – Opinion Retell Writing Bookmarks (Interactive Notebook Piece)
p.103-105 – Puzzle Retell (Interactive Notebook Piece)
p.106-117 – Writing/Summary with Word Bank by Book
p.118 – Google Slide Option Link & QR

(Full name Norman Ray Bridwell) American writer and illustrator of children's books.

INTRODUCTION

Bridwell is best known as the creator of more than one hundred Clifford the Big Red Dog picture books, concept books, toy books, and easy readers. His simplistic writing style incorporates fact, fiction, and humor into books credited with teaching preschool and primary grade children a wide range of topics while keeping them laughing at Clifford's misadventures. Bridwell's books have been translated into Chinese, Danish, French, German, Greek, Italian, and Spanish and have spawned numerous spin-off products, including toys, games, clothes, puzzles, bedding, backpacks, and beanbags.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Bridwell was born February 15, 1928, in Kokomo, Indiana, the son of Vern Ray (a factory foreman) and Mary Leona Koontz (a homemaker) Bridwell. After graduating from high school, Bridwell spent two years at the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1953 he moved to New York City to study at Cooper Union Art School for a year and then became a commercial artist for Foxson Fabrics, where he designed fabrics for neckties. Two years later Bridwell designed cartoons for slides and filmstrips for H. D. Rose Company. After three years Bridwell decided to become a freelancer. On June 13, 1958, he married Norma Howard, a watercolor, oil painting, and print artist; soon their family included a daughter, Emily Elizabeth, and a son, Timothy Howard.

To supplement his income, Bridwell decided to become an illustrator of children's books. After fifteen publishing houses turned him down, an editor at Harper & Row suggested that Bridwell try to write his own book based on one of his sketches. Thus, Clifford the Big Red Dog (1962) was born. He modeled the title character after a dog he had wanted as a little boy, drew him house-size, and gave him an owner named after his own daughter, Emily. He submitted his new book to Scholastic