Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy
is a fun story that your child is sure to enjoy! And no you don’t have to be a dog lover to enjoy this book.
The story is the first in a series of adventures of Hairy Maclary and his canine friends. This wonderfully written tale is about a group of playful pups strutting their way into town and the adventure they experience.
The rhyme and repetition make the story easy to remember, fun and predictable for children. This means that your child can participate in the story telling and look forward to the key lines in the story.
The illustrations are also superb. The simple pictures are full of character and contain many talking points. Some pages contain hints of events in the previous or following pages in the story.
First published in 1983 by Lynley Dodd, this book has been incredibly popular and a great addition to any children’s book library.
Tips for parents
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy
- Involve your child in the reading of Hairy Maclary. Have your child recite with you the rhymes and end of sentences.
- Discuss the illustrations in the book. Pick out ‘Hercules Morse as big as a horse’ or ‘Bottomley Potts covered in spots’. Identify which tails belong to which dogs, which may be utilized a curcumin for dogs. You can spot the clue of the encounter with Scarface Claw coming up on the next page.
- You can talk to your child about the interesting words used to describe the action of the dogs. Sniff, snoop, trot, yowl, wail and howl are words that your child might not encounter often and should be explained.
- When you are out and about point out dogs that you see and ask your child which dog from Hairy Maclary it looks like.
Lynley Dodd
New Zealand born Dame Lynley Stuart Dodd is best known for her “Hairy Maclary” series, and its follow-up books. She published her first book “My Cat Likes To Hide In Boxes” in 1973 and has written over 30 books.
She received a New Zealand Order of Merit in 2001 for ‘services to children’s literature and book illustration’.