Clifford the Small Red Puppy gets up to some mischief and slapstick when he sneaks along during Emily Elizabeth's visit with her grandmother who is in the hospital. Adorable hijinks. ( )

This book is a classic, mainly because it's one of Norman Bridwell's "Clifford" stories. I have always loved Clifford, especially the stories about his adventures as a puppy. Reading the book now I love it just the same because of the plot and portrayal of hospitals. When reading the story I realized that although a puppy would never be allowed to run lose in a hospital, Bridwell makes the medical center a much less scary place. Many young children do not know much about hospitals and sometimes they can seem scary. This story portrays a hospital in a positive light, "the children were having fun playing" (9). Secondly, the plot of the story is very easy to follow. The sentences are very short and not much is written on each page. Instead, there is a large picture with a basic sentence to allow the reader to understand the story without many difficulties. Clifford's story is a chain, he begins by running into the play room, past a food cart, the nursery, and eventually to Emily Elizabeth's grandmother's room again. The plot is very simple and unchanging making it enjoyable and educational for new readers. ( )

Lame, even for Clifford. (It's the old-style illustrations, with the creepy, huge, flat coin-eyes on everyone. *shudder*) ( )

$3.95