Welcome to Granny's Bookmark. Today's story is Clefford's First Halloween by Norman Bredwell. Trick-a-treat. I'm Emily Elizabeth the Cat. And the big red clown is my dog, Clefford. Clefford was not always this big. Many Halloween's ago, he was just a tiny red puppy. I wanted to take Clefford out trick-a-treating. But the mask and hat didn't fit. He was not a happy clown. I tried dressing him as an angel. While I was putting my fairy costume on, he ate his halo. Then I found the perfect costume for my small red puppy. Clefford was the littlest ghost I had ever seen. My neighbors were nice. We both got lots of good treats. When we got home, Daddy was carving a pumpkin for a Halloween party. Clefford was a nosy little puppy. Now we had a jack-a-lantern that barked and stuck out its tongue. I showed Clefford my Halloween noise maker. He was surprised. Then it was time for the party. All my friends came. Mommy made us candy apples. Clefford wondered how they tasted. But candy was sort of sticky. I had to give Clefford a quick bath. It was time to go into the haunted house. Our jack-a-lantern looked very spooky. Clefford followed me into the haunted house. But he didn't like it very much. Then Mommy dimmed the lights and told a scary story about it. A haunted hand that crept around the house. Suddenly, we all saw a giant hand wriggling on the wall. We were scared. What was it? The hand came closer and closer. We laughed when we saw it was only Clefford. It was a great party. Clefford is grown up now. But he still makes Halloween a special day for everyone.