Norman Bridwell (1928–2014)

Even Clifford the Small Red Puppy in his adorable ghost costume cannot offset the sight of Emily Elizabeth in her cat Halloween costume triggering a traumatic flashback to Rebel Wilson and the rest of the CGI-ed cast from the Cats musical movie adaptation. Brrrr. The mischief and pratfalls just ring hollow when your brain is providing "Memories" as a soundtrack.

This is about as delusional as Clifford books get. Emily Elizabeth claims Clifford's dog food budget is driving her family to bankruptcy so Clifford tries to get a job in order to pull his own (very considerable) weight. But his job hunting escapades just prove that dog food expenses have to be the least of the family's financial concerns considering the number of lawsuits and insurance claims that must be made against them daily in the wake of Clifford's wave of destruction. He destroys an show more entire barn and silo at one point!

And for the happy ending he ends up on the police payroll. The cops need to be detaining this menace, not paying him in dog food for undisclosed services. What sort of black ops have been done by Clifford over the decades to ensure the steady supply of food and the cover up or brushing under the rug of his ongoing assault on persons and public and private property? show less

The eponymous magic-maker from Norman Bridwell's The Witch Next Door accompanies her two young friends to summer camp in this third picture-book devoted to their adventures together. Every time something potentially bad or difficult occurs - a rainy day, a confrontation with a sandcastle bully, a difficult trek up a nearby mountain - the witch is there to smooth the way, making this the best summer camp experience ever...

Although I was mostly indifferent to Bridwell's initial story about show more this magical figure, my interest in witchy picture-books led me to pick up The Witch's Vacation, hoping that it would be an improvement. Unfortunately, I think it's even worse than the first book! While the story and artwork of that initial title simply left me unimpressed, here I had a decidedly negative response. I understand that the story is meant to be lighthearted, but the idea that the best camp experience is to be had when someone smooths the way for you, doing all the work and taking away every challenge, just strikes me as odd and unappealing. Not only does this deny the child characters any sort of agency, it makes for an unsatisfying story, as they never get the opportunity to prove themselves in any meaningful way. This is perfectly symbolized by the scene in which the witch creates an escalator to take the children to the top of the mountain they are meant to be hiking. As someone who has had the satisfaction of completing difficult hikes when young, and who felt a sense of exhausted triumph upon reaching my destination, this strikes me as ludicrously misguided.

I appear to be in the distinct minority on this one, as all of the other online reviews I have seen on The Witch's Vacation are positive. I'll probably give other books in this series a try, if I have the opportunity, given my strong interest in witchy picture-books, but this is not one I recommend. show less

Emily Elizabeth and Clifford take in a stray cat while they look for its owner. Clifford is jealous of the kitten and tries to imitate it, resulting in thousands and thousands of dollars of property damage. Is Clifford the regular source of declarations of disaster emergencies in his area? Bad dog.