Hairy Maclary: Six Lynley Dodd Stories - Lynley Dodd

Published by Mallinson Rendel Publishers Ltd: Wellington, NZ, 2000 (1996). 
Omnibus edition containing stories first published 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991. 

Lynley Dodd stories are very cute and a huge part of any New Zealander's childhood - at least, I remember them from mine. The chance to now introduce them to Ezekiel is sweet, although at the age he is, we need to keep the pages at arms length to avoid unnecessary 'rippage.' This omnibus edition contains six stories, each giving a sense of the general Hairy Maclary vibes: detailed and subtly kiwi illustrations, good poetical story-telling with some good use of alliterative or onomatopoeic elements, an impressive vocabulary for a children's book (eg. bumptious, bustling, cacophony, caterwaul...) and a light touch of humour. The stories are easy to read for little kids with short attention spans, but also interesting enough that slightly older kids would appreciate them as well.

The six stories in this volume are:

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy - The original Hairy Maclary story. We follow Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy as he goes "out of the gate and off for a walk." One by one his friends join him until a whole gang of dogs are roaming the street. Then comes the twist ending: faced with "Scarface Claw, the toughest Tom in town" all the dogs run home to bed. Quite fun.

Hairy Maclary's Bone - Hairy Maclary is given the butcher's "tastiest bone" and starts heading home with it. His friends once again join him, this time "with their eyes on the bone." As Hairy Maclary travels home he takes a number of detours and shortcuts until his followers are unable to follow, and he gets the bone for himself.

Hairy Maclary Scattercat - Hairy Maclary has a "boisterous bounce" and wants something to chase. We now meet a number of neighbour cats, who - like Hairy Maclary's dog friends - have names that lend themselves to the rhyme scheme. Hairy Maclary chases each of them away until, inevitably, he meets Scarface Claw once again!

Hairy Maclary's Caterwaul Caper - The only entry in this collection in which Scarface Claw does not come out on top! The vicious cat gets stuck in a tree, and one by one Hairy Maclary and his friends arrive to bark at him. This one uses a lot of onomatopoeia, by giving each dog a distinctive bark, that seems to suit their style well. And the dogs get to feel they have done their duty by 'defeating' Scarface.

Hairy Maclary's Rumpus at the Vet - Hairy Maclary himself only features as a 'part' of this story, rather than the main focus. An upset cockatoo causes a chain reaction while waiting at the vet, with multiple animals getting loose and causing chaos. And rather than everything fully wrapping up, the story circles back on itself and prepares to unleash a second wave of chaos just before it ends.

Hairy Maclary's Showbusiness - Hairy Maclary is tied up outside a cat-show. He manages to get loose and race through the show, being pursued here and there. Eventually he is captured, and even gets a prize for his troubles.

All in all, a great collection of fun stories. Well worth checking out if you have small children.

Completed with Ezekiel, 10 November 2024.



(Ezekiel Books)

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