Clifford's Birthday Party by Norman Bridwell, Norman Bridwell (Illustrator)

Biography

Growing up in Kokomo, Indiana, Norman Bridwell was always drawing. "I was not good at sports and my high school shop teacher, after a few days of class, took my tools away, telling me 'Here's a pad of paper instead. You seem to like to draw: stick to that,'" Bridwell remembers. But not everyone believed his drawings or writing would someday delight millions of children (and parents and teachers) around the world, a point he likes to stress when he visits schools, something which he does frequently. "I always liked to draw," Bridwell tells children, "but I was never considered very good. In school there was always someone better than me; the art teacher always liked their work better than mine. Teachers didn't like my writing either."

After high school, Bridwell wanted to turn his love of drawing into a career. He studied first at the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis and then moved to New York, where he took classes at another art school, Cooper Union, for two years. He then went to work as a commercial artist. It was in 1962 while he was working as a freelance filmstrip and slide illustrator and drawing mostly cartoons that Bridwell decided to put together a portfolio of colorful drawings and make the rounds of children's book publishers. Now married, with an infant daughter -- Emily -- he was hoping to supplement his income with some extra work illustrating books.

Bridwell visited about fifteen publishing houses but there were no assignments to be had, and even worse, seemingly little hope for any in the future. One editor at Harper & Row went so far as to tell Bridwell that his art by itself was just not good enough, and she didn't think anybody would ask him to illustrate a book for them. But amazingly enough, she also made the suggestion that helped bring him the phenomenal success he enjoys today. She advised him to write a story to go along with one of his pictures. She picked out his sketch of a baby girl and a horse-sized bloodhound and casually said, "There might be a story in this," Bridwell remembers.

He wasted no time in taking her advice, but he did decide to make the bloodhound even bigger and more of an "all-around" dog -- much like the dog he had wanted as a little boy, one that he could ride and who would be a fun companion. Bridwell remembers speaking to the editor on a Friday, and "By Monday, I had done this little book about a girl and her dog," he says.

Now all he needed were names for his characters. "I wanted to call the dog 'Tiny,' but Norma (his wife) said that was boring and suggested 'Clifford' after an imaginary friend from her childhood," Bridwell says. The little girl's name, however, was easy. Bridwell named her Emily Elizabeth, after his young daughter. He dropped off his drawings and manuscript at Scholastic and tried not to expect anything. Three weeks later the phone rang. Scholastic wanted to publish Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Despite his (and Clifford's) success, Bridwell, like anyone who does anything creative, still can't always predict how others will respond to his work. In just a few hours on the night before he was to meet with his editor about a Clifford book that he had worked on for many weeks, Bridwell drew some sketches and put together the text for what would become one of his most popular books, The Witch Next Door. Bridwell thought he was just bringing along something extra, but The Witch Next Door, about a kindly witch and her friendship with her two young neighbors, was accepted for publication while the Clifford book was rejected. "That's the way it goes," Bridwell says, calling The Witch Next Door a "happy accident."

But what he has obviously learned and what he tries to stress to young writers is that rejection is not a reason to give up. "Sometimes you'll do something that you really like and no one else does. You'll feel terrible, but you've just got to press on and keep trying. If you like doing it and keep working at it, then someday you will succeed."

Feature Interview

Norman Bridwell took a few moments to answer some of our questions about books and life.

What was the book that most influenced your life -- and why?
I would say The Bears of Blue River, by Charles Major. I read this as a child growing up during the Depression, and it made my life seem better. The Bears of Blue River is about pioneer life in the early Indiana territory, and it clearly describes how people struggled to survive in the most unpleasant conditions. This book was popular when I was growing up, and it sticks in my mind as a big influence in my life.

What are your 10 favorite books?

• The Bears of Blue River
• A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, by Barbara Tuchman. I enjoy reading history.
• Who Is Teddy Villanova? by Thomas Berger. I think this is a funny book with literary references.
• The Whole Motion: Collected Poems by James Dickey. I like his use of words, the images he creates with words.
• The Wizard of Oz.- I like the characters. I especially like the later books in the series by Ruth P. Thompson. She had a good sense of humor.
• The Lance of Kanana by Henry Willard French. A good adventure story.
• The Shipping News, by Annie Proulx. Author creates a great image of the edge of civilization.
• Patrick's Dinosaurs, by Carol Carrick. I enjoyed reading this book to my son.
• The Guns of August, by Barbara Tuchman. I enjoy reading history.
• Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, by Alfred Lansing. I thought this was a very compelling story of bravery.

Who are your favorite writers?

• Sharon Olds: Poet. I like her use of words and imagery.
• David McCullough: Biographer. I like his work, and my son enjoyed his book about the Jamestown flood very much.
• Lynn Emanuel: Poet. Again, I like her use of language and imagery.

What else do you want your readers to know?
To unwind, I like to listen to classical music and jazz, I like to do crossword puzzles, I like to go the ballet and to the theater, I like to walk around town with a camera that fits in my pocket and take pictures of unusual things. I take pictures of numbers in unique places, and use the pictures for my children's birthday cards.

My likes and dislikes: I like dogs, cats, and children. I love watching children as they walk around and take in their surroundings. I dislike people who talk on cell phones while they drive, and I dislike cold weather.

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In the summer of 2004, we asked authors featured in Meet the Writers to give us a list of their all-time favorite summer reads, and tell us what makes them just right for the season. Here's Norman Bridwell's list:

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

James Dickey's Collected Poems, 1959-1967

Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse

Collected Robert Benchley Humor

Crazy Like a Fox by S. J. Perleman

In the Devil's Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis by Mary Beth Norton

Sleeping With the Devil by Robert Baer

The Simpsons and Philosophy

Fierce Pajamas: Humor From the New Yorker