Sibling Rivalry Between Clifford and a Visiting Kitten 
Our younger daughter found Clifford, the Big Red Dog, to be one of her favorite characters in picture books. The many humorous plays on his enormous size left her giggling and laughing. The illustrations took the simple ideas in the book and made them unforgettable. This book can help you explain to your children about not being jealous of other children in your family. "I'm Emily Elizabeth. This is my dog, Clifford. He's the only pet I ever had . . . except for one time last year." "A kitten came to our house. I think he was lost." "Mom said we could keep him until he found his owner." Emily Elizabeth puts the kitten to bed in Clifford's old basket, and puts it close to her bed. Clifford becomes jealous, and sleeps so close outside her window that he knocks the house atilt from its foundation on that side. The next day, Mom says the kitten has to sleep with Clifford. Whatever the kitten does, Clifford wants to do . . . often with hilarious consequences. The kitten's butterfly chasing leads Clifford to swallow a kite which he has mistaken for a giant butterfly. Dad pays the boy so he can get a new one. The kitten scratches his claws on a tree, and Clifford sharpens his nails on a light pole which is uprooted in the process. The kitten rides in a doll's carriage, and Clifford hops on a real dump truck. The kitten plays with a spool of thread and Clifford knocks a huge spool of fiber optic cable through two walls of a neighbor's garage! But Clifford is not fussy about eating while the kitten is. The kitten makes a mistake and goes in front of a moving car. Clifford pounces on the car, and stops it before the kitten is injured. The car, however, will need some work. Eventually, a boy claims the kitten and rides off with him in the basket on the handlebars of his bicycle. Emily Elizabeth sighs, "Oh well, I still have a pretty good dog. The last illustration shows Clifford's enormous pink tongue licking her. After you have enjoyed this story, I suggest that you talk with your children about how different children in a family can become jealous of one another. You can use this book as an example, and also mention your own feelings towards your siblings when you were young. You want to be sure that older children realize that they got the same tender treatment that the new baby is getting. Pulling out their photos or videos can help. Focus on companionable pleasure in one another over rivalry at home!
August 01, 2001
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