Clifford the Big Red Dog

Clifford the Big Red Dog is an enduring American children's book series first published in 1963. Written by Norman Bridwell, the series helped establish Scholastic Books as a premier publishing company. Clifford was the runt of the litter, and was chosen by a city child named Emily Elizabeth Howard as her birthday present. No one expected Clifford to grow, but Emily Elizabeth's love for her tiny red puppy changed Clifford dramatically. Before long, he was over 25 feet (7.6 m) tall, forcing the Howard family to leave the city and move to the open spaces of Birdwell Island. Scholastic Studios produced a successful television adaptation shown on PBS Kids, which aired from 2000 to 2003. It is currently in re-runs as part of Miss Lori and Hooper's lineup, as well as in other time-slots on some PBS affiliates. In 1988, A Canadian Animation Company, Nelvana produced a series of Clifford educational videos, and in the early 1990s, Warner Bros. released a Clifford video that mixes live action with animation. Clifford The Big Red Dog was one of many PBS Kids shows designed to teach children a number of life lessons.