Josephine Page

Clifford and his dog friends, T-Bone and Cleo, raid the treat boxes while Emily Elizabeth is away. I was amused by the dogs' rationalizations for why they deserved more treats. The ending is a bit weak, but the dogs do learn a hard lesson.

FOR REFERENCE:

Adapted by Josephine Page and illustrator Ken Edwards from the television script "Tummy Trouble" by Lois Becker and Mark Stratton for the Clifford the Big Red Dog PBS Kids animated series, Season 1, Episode 5, September 8, 2000.

A boy thinks he can help out his father by doing something on his own but gets in over his head. Clifford is literally a spectator, watching everything unfold from the side just like on the cover. It's silly, but I liked the lesson and the fun the dogs have with the ice cream mess.

This is a good example of a Fairy tale because it has magical creatures and a simple narrative that includes improbable events. All the dogs in the story talk, which of course is unrealistic, but it adds to the story and makes it interesting because we can know what they are thinking and feeling. The overarching moral of this story is self control and doing what you know is right even when no one is there to watch you (otherwise you may get a terrible tummy ache).

Point of View

A good reader for the child who is learning to read. That's about it. Commercial products always seem to fail to meet any great standard...leave this Clifford and enjoy the Clifford before he became commercial; it's much better.