Clifford’s Birthday Party by Norman Bridwell

Clifford’s Birthday Party Reviews

• 
  Erth

  Happy birthday Clifford!
• 
  Mya

  3.5 really
  This book was definitely an older version of Clifford. It had a lot of aspects that were portrayed in the book as off putting.
• 
  Kelli Santistevan

  I listened to this story on YouTube and I liked it. It was so cute and it made me so happy.
• 
  Rod Brown

  All the invited guests for Clifford's birthday blow it off because they don't think their presents are good enough. Emily Elizabeth drags them to the party anyway, and most of their presents indeed do not work out, getting quickly destroyed or rejected. (This time at least Clifford only destroys things belonging to himself or Emily Elizabeth's family instead of raining destruction across the whole neighborhood.) And then Emily Elizabeth trumps all her friends by giving Clifford what he really wanted, making the whole party feel like some sort of cruel trap.
  
  It all boils down to a a weak friends and family are more important than gifts moral, but why have the friends bring their gifts at all if they truly don't matter?
• 
  Melissa Kreycik

  Bad lesson to teach kids, but entertaining for my toddler!
  
  I am a parent trying to teach my toddler about kindness and giving and manners, and this book surprised me in a bad way in how it seems to be teaching rudeness...three times! First, the friends just unanimously didn't show up for the party and all went to the park instead. Huh? Second, EE asks why; they say they didn't think Clifford would like their gifts. But the rude part is EE's response...rather than saying something like, "it's ok you don't need to bring gifts, he just wants his friends there" she says something like, "Clifford will like whatever gifts you've got," as if gifts are the condition for them coming and all he cares about. Third rude thing is that EE didn't like one of the gifts, so she gives it to someone else, right there at the party! I clearly seem over-opinionated about a children's book, but Amazon asked me to write a review, so here it is, haha. I'm teaching my son to value people over gifts..This book sends the opposite message to me. But 3 stars because my toddler was obsessed with this book for 5 months straight!
• 
  Pablo Vazquez Camargo

  Today is birthday and her birthday is coming and I going to house
• 
  Emily Mote

  Summary: On the day of Clifford's birthday, he and Emily Elizabeth are confused when none of Clifford's friends show up to his birthday party. However, Emily Elizabeth finds them and realizes they did not come because they were afraid Clifford would not like the gifts they got him. Emily assures them that he will, and they attend. Clifford and his friends have a great time opening the variety of gifts he is given. Clifford is appreciative of all the things he is given and is sure to share with his friends.
  
  Teaching Ideas: As a teacher, I would use this book in my classroom to stress the importance of being grateful and sharing with peers. This book could be used for kindergarten or first grade, which are the grades I hope to teach.
  
  Evaluation: I personally like this book. The story line is sweet and interesting for children. I would recommend this book to children who are just beginning to read on their own.
• 
  Ina

  This is another charming book about Clifford's life and his struggles to fit in to this miniature world. The kids enjoyed this story, and there were many laughs to be had, especially when all the guests at the party dream about what Clifford would look like after a trip to the groomers. I was bothered by the way the story centered on birthday presents - at first none of the guests would come, because they felt that their gifts were inadequate for their friend. The bulk of the story features each guest and his/her gift and how grateful Clifford is to receive each one...even though they are all somehow wrong (a hand knit sweater that only fits over part of his nose, for example). In the end, his family arrives to surprise him, and the message about friends and family being the most important gift comes through...but only in the last few pages.
• 
  McKenzie Richardson

  For more reviews, check out my blog:
  Craft-Cycle
  
  A cute Clifford story that teaches kids how to accept gifts and the importance of friends and family.
  
  There are some weird parts in the story (kids just not coming to the party because they weren't sure about their presents? secretly regifting something right in front of the person who gave it to you?), but overall it was a nice story.
  
  And it's got it's fair share of total destruction so that's always a plus.
• 
  Rosa Cline

  It's Clifford's birthday and they were giving him a big party but no one shows up. So Emily Elizabeth and Clifford go to find their friends. They all thing that their gifts aren't good enough for someone as special as Clifford. But Emily tells them she knows they will be. They continue to have fun opening gifts and toward the end Clifford gets a visit from his parents and siblings. Making his birthday the best.
• 
  Spencer

  2022
  Gift from Harper's grandmother
• 
  Matthew Hocker

  It was Winston Churchill that famously said "They feed the crocodile in the hope that he will eat them last."
  
  Obviously, Clifford is neither Winston Churchill nor is he a crocodile. I suspect Bridwell was aware of this in his writings, but I imagine in both the passages "Emily, my teeth are dull from the grounded bones of your parents," and "Hello children, I am baking a cake under the river's current, would you like to see?" there was a suggestion of a more political and reptilian nature.
  
  You might think the previous sentence is long. You would be right, but Bridwell eclipses that statement with his book "Clifford's Birthday Party" a metaphysical trapping of the world's most dangerous dog through utility of the never-ending sentence. Verily, this is a book Clifford is incapable of breaking free from (unlike other stories in which he breaks the fourth wall and corrupts the reader to do His bidding with demon-dog enchantments), due to Bridwell's intelligent design of sentence unstructuring. As a result, Clifford is forced to masticate the other inhabitants of His book in hopes of removing all potential plotlines. Bridwell continues to add more characters to celebrate Clifford's Birthday, which Clifford then ingests, causing him to grow larger (a secondary effect that He also hoped to use to break free from the book). Norman wasn't called Norman "Burlap the Bourgeois" Bridwell for no reason, though. He induced the Groundhog's Day plot structure, forcing Clifford and the party attendees' to relive the cycle of digestive consummation repeatedly by resetting the day, preventing Clifford from becoming too large to break free and creating a story structure with "infinite" characters and plot.
  
  Heh, nice move Norman. Choice actions, bro.
  
  You might be wondering how the book ends. But let me offer a counter-question: How does life end? Certainly, we've yet to witness it. This lack of truth, despite being the great truth cometh, remains a point of fixation in Clifford's Birthday Party.
  
  Is Clifford sitting on his butt in the book's display picture or did he morph into a kangaroo? What the hell?
  
  4/5.
• 
  Joan

  In this special two-stories-in-one-book, young readers can enjoy two Big Red Dog stories. In “Clifford’s Birthday Party,” Emily Elizabeth helps Clifford celebrate his birthday. She invites his friends and they play games. And there’s a special surprise birthday cake for Clifford, too. What could be a good surprise for a big red dog?
  
  In “Clifford Teacher’s Pets,” Clifford goes to doggy school. What will Clifford learn?
  
  Norman Bridwell’s Clifford is a well-known, beloved character in children’s books. The charming illustrations and delightful stories in these two stories are sure to delight young readers. The Lexile levels are 450L and 470L, respectively, so parents should be prepared to help their children read these enchanting stories. As with the first 2 Stories In 1, this book is a special edition for the Kohl’s Cares program.
  
  Highly recommended.
  
• 
  Sarah Lu

  One of my favorites as a kid. Read it to my daughter tonight.
  
  It is a cute book. Can definitely tell it is early on as the art, especially for Emily Elizabeth's parents, is a bit... odd. The dogs have the most emotion.
  
  The outfits are definitely dated. But that is fine.
  
  The story is amusing, seeing how Clifford celebrates his birthday and the surprise that awaits at the end of the day.
• 
  Jennifer

  Read the big book version during storytime. The story was fine with plenty of silliness when Clifford tries to deal with the not really appropriate for him presents his friends brought (although Clifford's friends clearly could use some work on their gift selection skills), but Clifford is definitely starting to show his age.
  
  Used for Birthday storytime theme January 2019.
• 
  Alissa Weiss

  Grade Level: Pre-K-3rd grade
  Genre: Animal Fantasy
  Clifford's Birthday Party will teach children about the importance of family and friends. Family and friends are more important than material possessions. Clifford enjoyed the time he spent with his loved ones. I would recommend for parents and teachers to read this book to their children.
• 
  Alyssa Haverfield

  I remember reading this as a kid. Why would their friends not show up to the birthday party?? I couldn’t get past that haha. Otherwise, a classic Clifford tale ending with friendship and family valued over material possessions.
• 
  Sherry Scheline

  I love Clifford, but when I read them as an adult I view Emily Elizabeth as pretentious. Slipping the gift certificate off and other little things. I just felt her and Clifford were a bit ungrateful. More kindness please.
• 
  Grace Herbst

  I loved these Clifford books when I was little. I still enjoy reading about the big red dog. They're perfect for children.
• 
  Carly

  Cute birthday book about how its not about presents, it is about family!
• 
  Danielle Williams

  Love
• 
  Melissa C

  <3