Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy (Hairy Maclary and Friends)

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They generally involve Hairy and his friends in adventurous scenarios pitched against local cats, often with an implication that the cats are more cunning. With cumulative rhymes and sunny ink and watercolor illustrations, this international favorite chronicles the escapades of our hero Hairy and his crew of five kooky canines. Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy combines simple narrative storytelling with virtuoso use of rhythm and rhyme, and Dodd’s gentle but energetic watercolour illustrations depict characters that are as well loved as they are mischievous. The fun names are silly and purposefully long, which is more enjoyable for children to hear and repeat.

Each dog has it's own rhyming couplet (eg, Hairy Maclary, from Donaldson's Dairy - Hercules Morse, as big as a horse) and as each extra dog joins we start the cumulative list again from the top, in the same way as There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly. The text is written in rhythmic verse that flows easily and has simple rhymes like "Bottomley Potts covered in spots, Hercules Morse as big as a horse".The gang go for a doggy strut downtown – only to be sent packing by Scarface Claw, the toughest tom in town. Makes you wonder if there's some sort of weird genetic manipulation going on in Miss Plum's town and who's behind it. The funny thing about reviewing toddler books is that you could easily use more words in the review than there are in the book itself! Hairy Maclary is a fictional dog, the hero of a series of children's picture books created by the New Zealand author Lynley Dodd and making his first appearance in 1983 with the publication of Hairy Maclary From Donaldson’s Dairy. In the 2019 TVNZ series Goodnight Kiwi the prime minister Jacinda Ardern read Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy; the episode aired on TVNZ 2 on Christmas Day.

Lynley Dodd has not stated what breed of dog Hairy Maclary is, but he has characteristics of a Scottish Terrier and is possibly cross-breed. Zachary Quack, a small and determined duckling, sets out to play with a rather reluctant Hairy Maclary. The pictures and the written words combine to tell the story, with much anecdotal material appearing within the pictures that is not described in the text.The clever rhymes and colourful language make these books a joy to read aloud with lines like “Hairy Maclary felt bumptious and bustly, bossy and bouncy and frisky and hustly" and the rhythm and repetition encourages children to join in too. My favorite part of this kerfuffle is that Lynley Dodd herself chimed in by saying, "one has to remember that lady dogs have certain times when they're not supposed to be out gallivanting anyway. It was thirty years ago that a small black dog stepped out of the imagination of author and illustrator Lynley Dodd and onto the pages of a picture book. It has also been adapted into a stage play, which has been performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Sydney Opera House.

Why is Ms Plum always the hero, is she the local busybody, or town hero, maybe she's the only non-pet owner in town? You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. We love, love, love this tale and have gone on to read and enjoy all the other stories with Hairy Maclary.The books have a wide format that enables a child seated beside an adult to have a full view of the picture page while the adult reads.

For example, the noise made by a stranded cat and the excited dogs who discover it is described as a "cacophony".Hear the barking dogs and the ferocious yowl of Scarface Claw, all part of the interactive experience, giving children and parents’ hours of fun.