Norman Bridwell, creator of Clifford the Big Red Dog, dies at 86.

The creator of the beloved Clifford the Big Red Dog series of children’s books, Norman Bridwell, died at his home on Martha’s Vineyard on Friday, December 12th.

The Clifford series has been translated into 13 languages and sold 129 million copies. Bridwell both wrote and illustrated the iconic books. Bridwell also penned The Witch Next Door and A Tiny Family. Two additional Clifford books, which were completed before Bridwell’s death, will be published sometime in 2015.

Norman Bridwell’s books about Clifford, childhood’s most loveable dog, could only have been written by a gentle man with a great sense of humor,” Dick Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO, Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, said in a release. “Norman personified the values that we as parents and educators hope to communicate to our children – kindness, compassion, helpfulness, gratitude – through the Clifford stories which have been loved for more than fifty years.

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Bridwell is survived by his wife, Norma, a daughter, a son, and three grandchildren.