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Norman Ray Bridwell (February 15, 1928 – December 12, 2014) was an American author and
Bridwell put together a portfolio and attempted to get a job as a children's book illustrator but was rejected by approximately fifteen publishing houses. While at Harper & Row, an editor offhandedly suggested he turn one of his drawings into a story. The drawing was of a young girl and a horse-sized bloodhound, and the story became ''Clifford the Big Red Dog''. That book spawned over 40 best-selling Clifford books, three animated
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...
best known for the '' Clifford the Big Red Dog'' book series.
Early life
Bridwell was born on February 15, 1928, inKokomo, Indiana
Kokomo ( ) is a city in Indiana and the county seat of Howard County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Howard County, the Kokomo-Peru CSA, which includ ...
, to Leona and Vern Bridwell. He graduated from Kokomo High School
Kokomo High School (merged with Haworth High School in 1984) is a four-year public high school in Kokomo, Indiana, USA. The school is the only high school in the Kokomo School Corporation.
History
The earliest Kokomo High School found in rec ...
in 1945, and went on to attend John Herron School of Art at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th st ...
, and Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...
, in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Clifford serves as the official mascot of Scholastic Corporation
Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...
.
Career
Bridwell put together a portfolio and attempted to get a job as a children's book illustrator but was rejected by approximately fifteen publishing houses. While at Harper & Row, an editor offhandedly suggested he turn one of his drawings into a story. The drawing was of a young girl and a horse-sized bloodhound, and the story became ''Clifford the Big Red Dog''. That book spawned over 40 best-selling Clifford books, three animated television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
, merchandise, a live musical and a live-action film. Clifford serves as the official mascot of Scholastic Corporation
Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...
.
Bridwell's other successful books include ''The Witch Next Door'', ''How to Care for Your Monster'', and ''A Tiny Family''. There are over 126 million copies of his books in print in 13 languages.
Personal life
In 1958, Bridwell was married to his wife Norma Ellen Howard. They had a daughter Emily Elizabeth Merz and a son named Tim. At the time of his death, they had three grandchildren. The Bridwells resided inEdgartown
Edgartown is a tourist destination on the island of Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States, for which it is the county seat.
It was once a major whaling port, with historic houses that have been carefully preserved. Tod ...
on Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the s ...
, from 1969 until his death.
Death
Bridwell died on December 12, 2014, at the age of 86. His funeral was held at the Federated Church on South Summer street in Edgartown. He was cremated, and his ashes were given to his son, Tim.References
External links
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bridwell, Norman 1928 births 2014 deaths American children's writers American children's book illustrators Cooper Union alumni Herron School of Art and Design alumni People from Kokomo, Indiana Writers from Indiana People from Edgartown, Massachusetts Clifford the Big Red Dog