Norman Bridwell was born on February 15, 1928 in Kokomo, Indiana. He attended the John Herron Art Institute from 1945 to 1949 and Cooper Union Art School from 1952 to 1953. After graduating from Cooper Union, he worked first as a messenger for a lettering company and then as an artist designer for Raxon Fabrics Company. After that, he spent three years with H. D. Rose and Company as an artist, before becoming a freelance artist in 1956. In 1963, he published his first children's book, Zany Zoo, as well as his first Clifford book, Clifford the Big Red Dog. During his lifetime, he wrote and illustrated more than 150 books including The Witch Next Door, A Tiny Family, Clifford Goes to Kindergarten, and Clifford Celebrates Hanukkah. He died following a fall at his home on December 12, 2014 at the age of 86. (Bowker Author Biography)